The first 50 years of ASEAN integration has brought peace and prosperity to the Southeast Asian region, while the next 50 will undoubtedly be fraught with unprecedented challenges. Today ASEAN not only has to contend with its own internal challenges arising from the highly diverse political, economic and socio-cultural systems of its member countries, it also has to deal with external factors which include shifts in geostrategic balance, fraying global consensus on free trade, populism and xenophobia, climate change, digital revolutions and cybercrimes. Set against the above background, this edited collection considers some of the contemporary issues and challenges faced by ASEAN in its journey towards more cohesive and dynamic regional integration. Among the topics explored are ASEAN’s evolving partnerships with its key strategic partners including China and the United States on economic policies and strategies, educational systems and frameworks, migration and environmental threats.

On the 8th of August 2017, ASEAN will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding. ASEAN is of great importance to Singapore, the region and the world.In 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN in short, was founded by five countries in Southeast Asia which had just gained independence from their former colonial masters, united by a determination for the region to live in peace and stability. Singapore was one of the five founding members of ASEAN, together with Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. The grouping was joined later by Brunei (1984), Vietnam (1995), Laos and Myanmar (1997), and finally, Cambodia (1999). ASEAN is today a very successful inter-governmental organization which promotes peace, stability, economic development and regional integration.This volume brings together 46 essays written by Singaporeans who have played a part in the partnership between ASEAN and Singapore. The reader will be able to glean an insight into the workings of ASEAN and Singapore's contributions to ASEAN through the lens of diplomats, academics, civil society leaders and officials.

ASEAN 50: Regional Security Cooperation through Selected Documents curates key official documents that establish ASEAN as the foundation of Southeast Asia's peace and security. Since 1967, ASEAN has played the crucial role of managing conflicts and maintaining stability in a region shaped by diverse political, economic and socio-cultural dynamics. During the Cold War, ASEAN's ability to keep major power rivalries and intra-mural disputes in check provided the conditions for economic growth in the region. Yet the extent of ASEAN's contributions to the security of Southeast Asia have not been systematically presented.This compendium of official ASEAN declarations, statements, treaties, conventions and workplans demonstrates the activism and innovation of ASEAN member countries in their management of regional security for the past five decades. ASEAN 50: Regional Security Cooperation through Selected Documents provides answers to how ASEAN remains a cohesive organisation through periods of regional conflict, how ASEAN unity thrives despite seemingly insurmountable differences among the ten members, and how ASEAN centrality is resilient against pressure arising from great power influences in Southeast Asia.

Written by the highly regarded diplomat Marty Natalegawa, former ambassador and foreign minister of Indonesia, this book offers a unique insider-perspective on the present and future relevance of ASEAN. It is about ASEAN’s quest for security and prosperity in a region marked by complex dynamics of power. Namely, the interplay of relations and interests among countries — large and small — which provide the settings within which ASEAN must deliver on its much-cited leadership and centrality in the region. The book seeks to answer the following questions: How can ASEAN build upon its past contributions to the peace, security and prosperity of Southeast Asia, to the wider East Asia, the Asia-Pacific and the Indo-Pacific regions? More fundamentally and a sine qua non, how can ASEAN continue to ensure that peace, security and prosperity prevail in Southeast Asia? And, equally central, how can ASEAN become more relevant to the peoples of ASEAN, such that its contributions can be genuinely felt in making better the lives of its citizens?