Asean and the Challenge of Multilateralism in the Asia Pacific

For almost 50 years, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been at the center of multilateral institutionalism in the Asia Pacific region. Created in 1967 by five Southeast Asian states, ASEAN has expanded to include ten states. ¹ The ASEAN Plus Three (APT) (and its associated institutions), the East Asian Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and numerous free trade arrangements are built around ASEAN. ASEAN has strived to become an extensive regional organization and maybe more. At the end of 2015, ASEAN officially declared itself to be an “ASEAN Community,” consisting of three different communities or “pillars,” with the goal of creating stronger economic, political and social bonds between the peoples of Southeast Asia.