ASEAN Political Security Community - Building a Region of Peace and Stability

Summary

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) aims to provide a safe and peaceful environment for its 660 million people through political and security cooperation. Guided by three primary imperatives, ASEAN focuses on harmonious living, equitable progress, and political security cooperation. The ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), one of three pillars of ASEAN, works towards regional peace, addressing security challenges, and fostering mutually beneficial international relations, guided by the APSC Blueprint.

Takeaways

• 🌏 ASEAN's primary objective is to provide a safe and peaceful environment for its 660 million people.
• 🤝 ASEAN focuses on political and security cooperation to ensure regional stability, which in turn promotes economic growth and prosperity.
• 🏙️ ASEAN aims to foster closer social and cultural bonds within its community, in addition to political and economic cooperation.
• 🔍 ASEAN has been guided by three primary imperatives for the past 25 years: living harmoniously, building an equitable and stable region, and strengthening political and security cooperation.
• 🌳 ASEAN's success as a regional organization is attributed to its ability to respond to challenges and deepen mutual trust among its member states.
• 🏛️ The ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC) is one of the three pillars of the ASEAN community, alongside the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.
• 📈 The APSC's mission is to build a united, inclusive, and resilient community where people of ASEAN nations can live in safety, embracing values of tolerance and moderation.
• 📚 The APSC Blueprint is central to implementing the APSC vision, focusing on preserving regional peace, addressing security challenges, and developing mutually beneficial relations with external partners.
• 🌐 ASEAN is committed to being an outward-looking community, engaging with international partners to extend its networks and forge new partnerships.
• 🏆 ASEAN's centrality in the evolving regional architecture is evident through its partnerships and the establishment of key forums like the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit.

Q & A

What is the primary objective of ASEAN?

The primary objective of ASEAN is to provide its population of 660 million people with a safe and peaceful place to live, work, and play.

What are the three primary imperatives that ASEAN has been guided by for the past 25 years?

The three primary imperatives are: 1) to help people live harmoniously in a just, democratic, and harmonious environment; 2) to build an equitable, progressive, safe, and stable region with human rights, fundamental freedoms, and social justice; 3) to strengthen cooperation in the political and security realm for a peaceful and stable ASEAN community.

What is the role of the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC)?

The APSC is one of the three pillars of the ASEAN community, focusing on preserving regional peace and stability, addressing security challenges, and developing mutually beneficial relations with external partners.

How does ASEAN aim to build a community that is rules-based, people-oriented, and people-centered?

ASEAN aims to build such a community through the APSC Blueprint, which includes political cooperation, shaping and sharing of norms, conflict prevention, confidence building, conflict resolution, post-conflict peace building, and implementing mechanisms.

What are the three broad objectives of the ASEAN Political-Security Community?

The three broad objectives are: 1) to preserve regional peace and stability; 2) to address security challenges; 3) to develop mutually beneficial relations with external partners.

What does ASEAN envision for its future in terms of goals?

ASEAN envisions a future with three goals: 1) a people-centered region providing a fair and inclusive society; 2) a peaceful and stable region with peaceful settlement of disputes; 3) a dynamic and outward-looking region with constructive collaboration and engagement with international partners.

What are some of the building blocks in achieving the ASEAN community goals?

Some building blocks include the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, a Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, the ASEAN Law Forum, and the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry.

How does ASEAN uphold the peaceful settlement of disputes?

ASEAN upholds peaceful settlement of disputes by renouncing the use of force and supporting existing political instruments such as the Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality (ZOPFAN), the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), and the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ).

What is the significance of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus)?

The ARF, EAS, and ADMM-Plus are testaments to ASEAN's centrality in the evolving regional architecture and its commitment to remaining an open and inclusive regional organization.

How does ASEAN approach the construction of the ASEAN community?

ASEAN approaches the construction of the community by guiding it with the principles of democracy, the rule of law, good governance, and the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms as inscribed in the ASEAN Charter.

What is the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and its role in regional architecture?

The ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific firmly positions ASEAN at the center of the evolving regional architecture and cooperative processes, demonstrating its commitment to promoting peace and security within ASEAN and the wider region.