ASEAN and regional cooperation, 1967-2000
H2 History - syllabus 9174, 2027
Why ASEAN was formed, how it managed disputes, ZOPFAN and the Bali Summit, its campaign over Cambodia, its growth after the Cold War, and how to judge the ASEAN Way.
- Why ASEAN was formed in 1967
ASEAN was founded to manage regional quarrels, build national resilience and cope with an uncertain Cold War environment.
- The early years: managing disputes and ZOPFAN
In its first years ASEAN achieved little in economics but helped stop quarrels, such as over Sabah, from becoming wars.
- After 1975: the Bali Summit and new momentum
The communist victories of 1975 shocked ASEAN into its first summit, a treaty on peaceful relations and early economic cooperation.
- ASEAN and the Third Indochina War
ASEAN led the diplomatic campaign against Vietnam's occupation of Cambodia, which was its greatest Cold War success, though members differed.
- ASEAN after the Cold War, 1991-2000
After 1991 ASEAN deepened economic cooperation, expanded to ten members and built forums to engage the major powers.
- Judging ASEAN: the ASEAN Way and its limits
Consensus and non-interference kept ASEAN united and members at peace, but limited what it could achieve.
- Put it together: Judge ASEAN's record
Choose a criterion and see what it reveals about ASEAN.
What you will be able to do
I can judge why ASEAN was formed in 1967 and what shaped how it grew.
Syllabus 9174, Paper 2, Theme III, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the factors for the formation and development of ASEAN
Taught in Why ASEAN was formed in 1967, After 1975: the Bali Summit and new momentum
I can judge how well ASEAN built stability, security and economic cooperation in the region over time.
Syllabus 9174, Paper 2, Theme III, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the outcomes of ASEAN's efforts in building regional stability and security and promoting regional economic cooperation over time
Taught in The early years: managing disputes and ZOPFAN, ASEAN and the Third Indochina War, ASEAN after the Cold War, 1991-2000, Judging ASEAN: the ASEAN Way and its limits
Sources and context
Background reading for this chapter.
- The USA stays out of the Sabah dispute
Paraphrase of an action memorandum from Assistant Secretary of State William Bundy to Secretary of State Rusk, 20 May 1968.
- A CIA assessment of ASEAN
Paraphrase of a CIA paper, "Regionalism in Southeast Asia: The Growth of ASEAN", 1 January 1981.
- The USA should consult ASEAN
Paraphrase of a memorandum from the Director of the State Department's Office of Regional Affairs, East Asia, 31 January 1977.
- Thailand considers an ASEAN response
Paraphrase of a telegram from the US embassy in Bangkok to the State Department, 4 January 1979.
- Lee Kuan Yew on ASEAN's position
Paraphrase of a letter from Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew to President Carter, 1 March 1979.
- the founding aims, 1967
Paraphrase of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration), signed by the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, 8 August 1967.
- the leaders report progress, 1977
Paraphrase of the Joint Communique of the Second ASEAN Heads of Government Meeting, Kuala Lumpur, 5 August 1977.
- an American intelligence assessment, 1981
Extract from "Regionalism in Southeast Asia: The Growth of ASEAN", a research paper by the CIA's National Foreign Assessment Center, 1 January 1981, published in Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977-1980, volume XXII, document 149. A US government document in the public domain.
- a free trade area, 1992
Paraphrase of the preamble and Article 2 of the Framework Agreement on Enhancing ASEAN Economic Cooperation, adopted by the six ASEAN heads of government at the Fourth ASEAN Summit, Singapore, 28 January 1992.
- bold measures after the crisis, 1998
Paraphrase of the Statement on Bold Measures, issued by ASEAN leaders at the Sixth ASEAN Summit, Hanoi, 16 December 1998.
- Vietnam joins ASEAN, 1995
Extract from the Joint Communique of the 28th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, Bandar Seri Begawan, 29-30 July 1995, paragraph 2, as circulated by Brunei Darussalam to the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council (UN document A/49/953-S/1995/652).
- ASEAN welcomes Laos and Myanmar, 1997
Paraphrase of paragraph 2 of the Joint Communique of the 30th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, Subang Jaya, Malaysia, 24-25 July 1997.
- the American Secretary of State on Burma, 1997
Extract from an address by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the Pacific Council on International Policy and the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, Los Angeles, 23 July 1997, the day before she left for the ASEAN meetings in Kuala Lumpur. Released by the State Department, 24 July 1997. A US government document in the public domain.
- Cambodia must wait, 1997
Paraphrase of paragraph 15 of the Joint Communique of the 30th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, Subang Jaya, Malaysia, 24-25 July 1997, written after fighting in Phnom Penh between the forces of Cambodia's two co-prime ministers in early July.
- narrowing the gap, 2000
Paraphrase of the Chairman's Statement of the Fourth ASEAN Informal Summit, Singapore, 24 November 2000, on the Initiative for ASEAN Integration.
- a cartoon about expansion, 1997
An original cartoon drawn for these notes in the style of a regional newspaper cartoon published in late July 1997, after ASEAN admitted Laos and Myanmar and postponed Cambodia's entry. It is not a copy of a real cartoon. The words of the figure at the window echo Source C.