Roundtable: ASEAN at Fifty and Beyond
Abstract
Contemporary Southeast Asia Vol. 39, No. 2 (2017), pp. 229â87 DOI: 10.1355/cs39-2a © 2017 ISEAS â Yusof Ishak Institute ISSN 0129-797X print / ISSN 1793-284X electronic Roundtable: AsEaN at Fifty and Beyond One of the most recognizable and durable regional intergovernmental organizations in the world, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will commemorate its golden jubilee on 8 August 2017, fifty years after the signing of the ASEAN Declaration in Bangkok by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines. The âASEAN-5â were later joined by Brunei on 7 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Laos and Myanmar on 23 July 1997 and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, comprising what is today the ten member states of ASEAN. To mark the 50th anniversary of ASEANâs establishment, the editors of Contemporary Southeast Asia invited eight senior policy practitioners and academics to chart the organizationâs evolution, assess its successes and failures and contemplate its future development. In the first article, Marty Natalegawa highlights the âtransformativeâ contributions ASEAN has made to regional dynamics, especially its key roles in building strategic trust among the countries of Southeast Asia, insulating the region from Great Power politics and promoting a people-centred outlook. In