Concept and prospects of ASEAN

Abstract

What are the ways by which the countries of Southeast Asia can come together? Three should come to the mind. One way is the formation of an association which deals with matters not of very vital importance to the majority of the people of the nations of Southeast Asia. Such matters will include, for example, visa arrangements, the the establishment of a product display centre of native Southeast encouragement of tourism among the people of Southeast Asia and Asian products and so on. Another will be something very ambitious such as a political union of Southeast Asian counties like that of a United States of America or a United Kingdom whereby you have a government with power and authority over all the citizens of South- east Asia. The third way lies somewhere in between; to try not to aim for a political union but for cooperation on more than marginal matters.