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Author : V. Samoylenko
Professor, Moscow State Institute (University) of International Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of the Russian Federation, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
THE PRESENT-DAY FRAMEWORK of international relations in-
cludes quite a few regional organizations, which have proved their
value and efficiency. There is among them, however, one that has al-
ways been holding a special place - namely, the Association of South
East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which was established in 1967 and in
the fifty years of its existence has not only successfully confirmed its
viability but has also been able to become a focal point for strength-
ening broad international cooperation, involving the participation of
practically all leading world powers.
Over the past 50 years, the Association has become a viable mecha-
nism of political, economic, defense, police, humanitarian, and other
cooperation among the ASEAN member states both in the multilateral and bilateral formats. It
is even more important, however, that despite numerous problems inherited by its member states
from the period of their colonial dependency, they have been able to demonstrate political will
and turn their organization into an effective instrument for overcoming their differences and
conflicts. As a result, with the passage of time, ASEAN has become a major factor of peace,
stability, and security in one of the formerly most turbulent and explosive world regions.
In 1982, in his monograph ASEAN: Politics and the Economy, the author of the present article,
for the first time ever in this country, made a comprehensive analysis of the reasons, goals and
circumstances behind the establishment of the ASEAN community, examined the driving forces
and the areas of interaction of five founding nations of the Association - Indonesia, Malaysia,
Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines, as well as Brunei, which joined them some time later.
The monograph also contains a conclusion stating that, despite some grave problems which
have continued to plague the relations between the ASEAN members, the organization still has
a significant potential for growth and positive development.
Even after the monograph's publication, a skeptical attitude to ASEAN's prospects still prevailed
in our country for some time, impeding efforts to fully assess the potential of that regional struc-
ture, which has been developing new types of cooperation.
At present, ASEAN is generally regarded as nucleus and a driving force of the entire system of
multilateral cooperation in the region, in which practically all leading world powers, including
Russia, actively operate.
It is important to take a deeper look at what is called the "ASEAN Way" - a political notion
broadly used by the Association's ten members. This will allow us to identify the reasons behind
ASEAN's material successes in different areas of regional interaction. We also need to examine
in more detail the Association's conceptual framework underlying its establishment and opera-
Five Decades of ASEAN