Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Will It Become a Formal SecurityAlliance

摘要

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has abstained from forming aformal defense or security alliance to meet external threats confronting the Association and its members. ASEAN was formed in 1967 to promote economic, cultural and political cooperation among the member states of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei (who joined in 1984), Singapore, and the Philippines. This paper analyzes those external threats and several potential flash points facing the ASEAN region and its members, and reviews the current defense arrangements of the individual member states to meet the potential threats. An assessment of the threats indicates that ASEAN does not require a formal defense alliance to insure regional security.