The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been recognized as the most successful regional cooperative and multilateral effort in the history of Southeast Asia. This is due to the...Show moreThe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been recognized as the most successful regional cooperative and multilateral effort in the history of Southeast Asia. This is due to the ability to create and maintain peace and stability in a region that is formed by ten countries with extremely diverse political, economic and socio-cultural backgrounds. Conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea by four ASEAN countries (Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines) with the territorial lines drawn by China, remain the most pressing challenge for the region and represents a worrying geopolitical struggle that is difficult to reconcile with the common perception of ASEAN as a strong and united regional powerhouse. ASEAN has assumed the South China Sea issue under its multilateral framework, involving China in the creation of a code of conduct in the SCS. Despite these efforts, the position of ASEAN itself on this issue has been inconsistent, as evidenced in its political stance through its annual statement and communique. While the main literature has observed this phenomenon under the assumption that the ever-growing Chinese economic power, is the element that could explain what we are observing in the region, I argue that even though the economic power of Beijing does play an important role, it is not enough to explain the various positions that we are seeing between the member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and that other factors need to be taken into consideration to better understand the underlying mechanisms that are at play in the region .Show less
