In this booklet, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies has put together some ideas for the proposed ASEAN Charter. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had endorsed the concept of a charter for the association on the conviction that such a document would help in making ASEAN a more robust force for peace and stability, a more deeply integrated and more competitive economic community, a more effective instrument for regional cooperation, and a worthier vessel for the hopes of Southeast Asia's people. The ideas in the booklet are meant for the use, as they see fit, of those who may be involved in the drafting of the charter, including the Eminent Persons Group that has been formed to advise the leaders.

On the historic occasion of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2007, the leaders of the ten-member countries signed the ASEAN Charter. This book captures the insiders' views of the drafting of the Charter. It is suitable for those interested in ASEAN, and international law.

Expert Roundtable Discussion on the "Road to Ratification and Implication of ASEAN Charter" organized by the ASEAN Studies Centre, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, and the Habibie Center, Indonesia, on 17 July 2008 in Jakarta.

With the completion of the ASEAN Charter, ASEAN needs to fully appreciate and work out the issues connected with its implementation. It is also important for ASEAN and its business sector to understand and implement the two newly completed key integration instruments (the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement 2009) and the business enhancing initiatives envisaged under them. Both areas of work have taken on added urgency in view of ASEAN's goal of putting in place an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. This is the first book which examines both the above issues, the problems related to them and possible solutions. "Mr Tiwari is a legal authority on ASEAN. This book is an important contribution to ASEAN law." - Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at- Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore. "The ASEAN Charter, and the economic integration of the ASEAN nations that the Charter will support, are essential to grow the competitiveness of the region. Mr Tiwari provides keen insights into the development of this emerging framework and of the challenges that remain." - Phillip Overmyer, Chief Executive, Singapore International Chamber of Commerce. "I have known Mr Tiwari as a legal authority and a friend for over twenty years. I would like to congratulate him for having chosen to share his knowledge on ASEAN law through this book. Knowledge of the ASEAN Charter and the instruments underpinning ASEAN integration would be of immense benefit to people in the business sector as ASEAN moves towards forming an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015." - Jennie Chua, Chairperson, Singapore International Chamber of Commerce.

Know Your ASEAN sets down, in clear and simple language, the basic facts about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It does so in the form of 40 questions and their answers. This is the second edition of the booklet that was among the contributions of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies to the observance of the 40th anniversary of ASEAN's founding on 8 August 1967. The booklet provides facts on ASEAN's establishment, membership, financing and decision-making. It recalls the association's contributions to regional security. It explains what ASEAN is doing to integrate the regional economy and promote regional cooperation on the environment, infectious diseases, counter-terrorism, poverty reduction and natural disasters. It clarifies such issues as non-interference and human rights. It touches on ASEAN's relations with other countries and international institutions. Since the first edition was published in 2007, many developments have taken place in ASEAN and Southeast Asia, including the adoption of the ASEAN Charter. Hence, the need for an updated version of the text. Through this booklet and their other work, ISEAS and its ASEAN Studies Centre hope to contribute to the expansion of public understanding about ASEAN, recognizing the fact that regional solidarity, integration and cooperation are possible only with sufficient public support. As in the first edition, the publications design and cartoons are by Miel, the award-winning Senior Executive Artist and leading cartoonist of the Straits Times.

This report, the first in the ASEAN Studies Centre report series, begins with a brief account of the important points raised during the discussions made at the workshop on "The ASEAN Community: Unblocking the Roadblocks," organized by the ASEAN Studies Centre and the Regional Economic Studies Programme on 15 April 2008. The first endeavour in which the new ASEAN Studies Centre was actively involved, the closed-door workshop gathered Southeast Asian experts on ASEAN for what was essentially a brainstorming session on the nature of the ASEAN Community that the association aspires to be, segmented into its three pillars - the ASEAN Economic Community, the ASEAN Security Community, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. The session examined the benefits expected from regional community building for the people of Southeast Asia and the obstacles that lay on the way to its achievement. The workshop suggested certain measures for removing those obstacles. It then discussed the newly signed ASEAN Charter: the significance of its provisions, how it could help build the ASEAN Community, and how it might fall short of doing so. The workshop also heard a short briefing on the aims and functions of the ASEAN Studies Centre and proffered suggestions for it.

Since its inception in 1974, Southeast Asian Affairs (SEAA) has been an indispensable annual reference for generations of policy-makers, scholars, analysts, journalists, and others. Succinctly written by regional and international experts, SEAA illuminates significant issues and events of the previous year in each of the Southeast Asian nations and the region as a whole. Southeast Asian Affairs 2008 provides an informed and readable analysis of the events and developments in the region in 2007. In the regional section, the first two articles provide the political and economic overview of Southeast Asia. They are followed by an article on India's geopolitics and Southeast Asia, and two articles on ASEAN. Eleven country reviews as well as four country-specific thematic chapters follow, delving into domestic political, economic, security, and social developments during 2007 and their implications for countries in the region and beyond.