Executive Briefing | ‘ASEAN: A connecting region?’
SYDNEY, 15 October 2015
Kishore Mahbubani, Dean and Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, gave an extensive briefing on the present and future of ASEAN. He emphasised the uniqueness of the regional forum, explored current challenges and presented prospects for the future.
Despite regional differences in religion, language, race, history and culture, ASEAN’s “unity in diversity” concept has succeeded in securing a peaceful environment in the region for the past 50 years. This has fostered a continued long-term economic growth and development in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, ASEAN has acted as a platform for the great-powers engagement and its contribution to creating a positive regional chemistry in the wider Asian region needs to be recognised.
ASEAN’s recent setbacks have been caused partly by domestic instability and weak leadership in many of its anchor countries. Furthermore, the extension of the U.S.-China rivalry into Southeast Asia has aligned countries into superpower blocs, complicating regional solidarity and making it difficult to achieve consensus among members.
However, Professor Mahbubani remained upbeat about ASEAN’s future. ASEAN’s flexible structure ensures that it will be adaptable to change and its past successes have engendered support and goodwill from those both inside and outside of the organisation. Supporting the prosperity of Southeast Asia through ASEAN is also of national interest to bigger states and middle powers, including Australia.
By Louise Mao, Asia Society Australia
Asia Society Australia’s Executive Briefings are a curated series of meetings presented by diplomats, business leaders and subject matter experts from Asia and Australia. Designed to offer a deep dive into the critical issues of the day, to an audience of senior executives from the business, political, educational and cultural institutions that make up the Asia Society network.
This briefing was hosted by Doug Ferguson, Partner in Charge, Asia, KPMG and board member of the Asia Society Australia. It was generously sponsored by KPMG and held in Sydney.