The ASEAN Declaration of 1967 stresses that the economic, social and cultural aims and purposes of the Association are to be attained through "joint endeavors," "active collaboration and mutual assistance", "assistance to each other", and enjoins the Member Countries "to collaborate more effectively." But when it comes to the statement of its lone political objective of regional peace and stability, there is no equivalent exhortation for collaboration. It speaks only of "respect for justice and the rule of law" and "adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter." There is no impassioned call to undertake common political positions.
The restraint with which the Founding Fathers expressed the political aim of their brainchild is understandable: they did not want their intentions to be misunderstood. ASEAN could be mistaken for a military arrangement among political allies as some of its predecessors had been. Moreover, they were not in the best position to take concerted political initiatives: Southeast Asia, at that time, was in the midst of political instability aggravated by economic underdevelopment. The ASEAN countries themselves were just beginning to learn to trust one another while nursing the hangover of bitter disputes of recent years, to say nothing of centuries during which they waged wars of conquest against each other when they were not altogether oblivious of one another's existence.
The newly-born ASEAN was, therefore, groomed as a regional association for economic, social and cultural cooperation and as such it has achieved, over the years, a large measure of success. But as Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas likes to point out at every opportunity: "The truth is that politics attended ASEAN at its birth. It was the convergence in political outlook among the five original Members, their shared convictions on national priority objectives and on how best to secure these objectives in the evolving strategic environment of East Asia, which impelled them to form ASEAN."
ASEAN therefore spent almost the whole first decade of its life developing and refining the concepts that form the basis of its work and methods of work. During those early, slow years, ASEAN's ministerial and other meetings became occasions for fostering an atmosphere of trust and goodwill in which the Member Countries developed a habit of working together in informality and candor. But it was not all economic matters that they took up even during those years. For in the face of the historical pattern of strife and Cold War rivalries in Southeast Asia, ASEAN countries could see no way by which they could attain national stability and socio-economic development if the region remained in political turmoil. And though they strove for national resilience and for collective resilience as a regional grouping, they knew this would not amount to much if external powers kept intervening in the affairs of Southeast Asia.
Thus on 27 November 1971, the five ASEAN Foreign Ministers met in Kuala Lumpur and signed the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) Declaration which is better known as the Kuala Lumpur Declaration of 1971. The ZOPFAN Declaration was a statement of political intent to be achieved by building national and regional resilience over the years following the establishment of ASEAN. The ZOPFAN Declaration committed all the ASEAN Member Countries to "exert initially necessary efforts to secure the recognition of and respect for Southeast Asia as a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality, free from any manner of interference by outside Powers." Furthermore, ZOPFAN called on all of Southeast Asian countries "to make concerted efforts to broaden the areas of cooperation which would contribute to their strength, solidarity and closer relationship."
It would take another five years before the next major development in political cooperation would come about: the First ASEAN Summit which took place in Bali in February 1976.
It was the timely thing to do ensuing the radical political changes which had taken place in Indochina. The U.S. had pulled out, Vietnam had been reunited and new governments were in place in Phnom Penh and Vientiane. It was time the Association finished with laying down foundations and accelerated its cooperation in various fields. Thus during that Summit, the ASEAN Leaders signed three major documents: the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia, the Declaration of ASEAN Concord, and the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN Secretariat. Departing from the more circumspect Bangkok Declaration, the ASEAN Concord declared that ASEAN shall "strengthen political solidarity by promoting the harmonization of views, coordinating position and, where possible and desirable, taking common actions".
The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia established the principles to which the signatory states would have to commit themselves: mutual respect for one another's sovereignty non-interference in internal affairs, the peaceful settlement of intra-regional disputes and effective cooperation. In effect, the TAC raised the provisions of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration to the level of a treaty to which other Southeast Asian countries could accede and with which the non-regional countries could associate. The TAC provides for a code of conduct for pacific settlement of disputes which includes the establishment of a High Council comprising a representative at the ministerial level from each of the High Contracting Parties. To this day, the TAC remains the only indigenous regional diplomatic instrument providing a mechanism and processes for a pacific settlement of disputes.
About a year and a half later, in August 1977, the ASEAN Leaders met again in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Association and to review the progress of the programs launched at the Bali Summit. It was during the Kuala Lumpur Summit that ASEAN intensified its external relations cooperation with non-regional countries on both economic and political matters.
One of the most important chapters in the history of ASEAN diplomacy took place during the Kampuchean conflict. The ASEAN-sponsored resolutions at the United Nations General Assembly, which called for a durable and comprehensive political settlement in Kampuchea, received consistent support from the international community. With Indonesia as interlocutor, ASEAN maintained its dialogue with all parties to the conflict which eventually led to the Jakarta Informal Meetings in which the four Cambodian factions would be able to hold a dialogue towards peace and national reconciliation. The process would take a long time and the help of many nations and the United Nations. It would extend to the early 1990s and would involve the 19-nation Paris Conference on Cambodia which was co-chaired by France and Indonesia, the UN Security Council, and the UN Secretary-General as well as the meetings of the Cambodia factions in Jakarta and Pattaya. On October 23, 1991, the Paris Conference on Cambodia signed the Comprehensive Political Settlement of the Cambodian Conflict which paved the way for the formation of the Cambodian Supreme National Council (SNC) in which all four factions participated and the successful holding of elections under supervision of the United Nations Transitional Authority on Cambodia (UNTAC). Thus the cause of peace was greatly advanced in Southeast Asia and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.
Furthermore, ASEAN Member Countries have adopted common positions on a number of global issues in the past. These included condemnation of South Africa's apartheid system and its occupation of Namibia, the then Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan, support for the PLO-Israeli Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government, expression of grave concern on the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, call for a resumption of political dialogue in the Korean Peninsula, and support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, among others.
Like many other parts of the world, the Southeast Asian region faces a number of territorial disputes among its members and other adjacent states. In all these issues, ASEAN consistently and patiently pursued a policy of cooperation towards peaceful settlement of disputes. In 1992, recognizing that any adverse development in the South China Sea could directly affect peace and stability in the region, ASEAN issued a declaration "urging all parties concerned to exercise restraint with the view to creating a positive climate for the eventual resolution of all disputes". ASEAN further "emphasized the necessity to resolve all sovereignty and jurisdictional issues pertaining to the South China Sea by peaceful means, without resort to force". The Manila Declaration of 1992 represents one of the most remarkable demonstrations of political solidarity among the Member States on strategic issues of common concern.
In January 1984, during the 17th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta, newly independent Brunei Darussalam was formally admitted into ASEAN, raising the number of ASEAN members to six. Reflecting on his country's membership in ASEAN, H.R.H. Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Foreign Minister of Brunei Darussalam, had the following words to say:
"ASEAN is very important to us. Like any small country, we have special concerns. Economic ones, we need to find markets, and political ones, small countries sometimes get overlooked. So being in ASEAN definitely helps us. We can work closely with our neighbors, share ideas and resources, learn about each other and try to solve problems together. On top of that, we have a stronger voice internationally. We can be more effective than we could be on our own. As far as our foreign policy goes, I'd say, ASEAN has given us confidence. Lastly, I think, being in ASEAN give us a sense of direction. Any policy we adopt is not only for our own people, but for the region as a whole. So all in all, we see ASEAN as extremely valuable, both nationally and regionally, and we're very pleased indeed to become a member."
In 1987, ASEAN held its Third Summit in Manila and also observed the completion of the second decade of its life. The Manila Declaration of 1987 stated, among others, that "ASEAN shall pursue regional solidarity and cooperation under all circumstances, especially whenever pressures and tensions of any kind, arising from within the region or from outside, challenge the capacities, resourcefulness, and goodwill of the ASEAN nations". The Manila Summit also signed a Protocol amending the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) to enable States outside Southeast Asia to accede to the Treaty. While welcoming the signing of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate and Short-range Nuclear Missiles by the U.S. and the then U.S.S.R., the ASEAN Leaders resolved to intensify efforts to translate both the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) and the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) into reality. With ASEAN activities accelerating, the Heads of Government also agreed to hold their meetings more regularly, every three to five years.
The Singapore Summit of 1992 was the first meeting of the ASEAN Leaders following the end of the Cold War. In Singapore, the ASEAN Leaders declared that "ASEAN shall move towards a higher plane of political and economic cooperation to secure regional peace and prosperity". In particular, ASEAN decided to promote external dialogues on enhancing security in the region. This policy direction paved the way for the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as a multilateral consultative forum aimed at building confidence among the countries with security interests in the Asia-Pacific region.
The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held its inaugural meeting in Bangkok in July 1994. The ARF has taken an evolutionary approach extended over three broad stages, namely the promotion of confidence-building, development of preventive diplomacy and elaboration of approaches to conflicts. The work of the ARF is complemented by the non-official Track Two process led by some of the major non-governmental strategic institutes in the Asia-Pacific region.
Vietnam joined ASEAN in July 1995 as the seventh member. This historic event generated further momentum towards the integration of the rest of Southeast Asia into ASEAN. Vietnam's Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cam, affirmed that "Vietnam's accession into ASEAN, to be followed by eventual enlargement of our Association including all ten Southeast Asian countries, marks a qualitative change in the condition of our region 50 years after the end of World War II. This is an eloquent testimony to the ever growing trends of regionalization and globalization in the increasingly interdependent world".
The ASEAN Summit of December 1995 in Bangkok was a landmark event not only in the history of ASEAN but also in the annals of Southeast Asia. For the first time ever, a meeting of the Heads of Government of all ten Southeast Asian States was convened. The Leaders agreed to work closely to facilitate and expedite the realization of an ASEAN comprising all Southeast Asian countries. Also on this occasion, the Heads of Government of all 10 Southeast Asian countries signed the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ). The Treaty, which entered into force on 27 March 1997, was ASEAN's major contribution to the progress towards general and complete disarmament of nuclear weapons.
Laos and Myanmar were admitted as members of ASEAN at the 30th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Subang Jaya, Malaysia in July 1997. Cambodia enjoys an Observer status in ASEAN with a view to eventual membership. With these developments, the vision of ASEAN's Founding Fathers has come near realization.
The goal as envisioned in 1967 was a challenge which the succeeding generations pursued with steadfast. This was how Foreign Minister U Ohn Gyaw of Myanmar saw the significance of his country's entry into ASEAN. He said: "Yesterday's important event will be remembered as the day when Southeast Asian nations once again illustrated the aspiration to work together for the future of all our peoples. In this day and age, nations of the world are realising more and more the importance of regional resilience and integrity. In the face of the constant challenges presented by changes in the world's geopolitical situation, we in Southeast Asia have proved ourselves worthy of any challenge. We have proved ourselves masters of our own destiny-our shared destiny-as we now prepare to chart our course for the 21st century".
For his part, Foreign Minister Somsavat Lengsavad of Laos took pride in becoming part of the process of political consolidation in Southeast Asia. He related that "Laos is a witness to firm solidarity, strong determination and close cooperation among the ASEAN Member Countries which have jointly built Southeast Asia into a zone of peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity, thus, contributing to the cause of world peace and security". Laos, he said, is very grateful to be admitted into ASEAN as a full member as "this historic event will open a new era of cooperative relations between Laos and the other Member Countries of ASEAN".
All countries in Southeast Asia now belong to a community working together to achieve the aims and purposes inscribed in the ASEAN Declaration signed in Bangkok 30 years ago. Already the Association has succeeded in defusing tensions in the region and has helped maintain potentially explosive situations at a manageable level. Already the Association has succeeded in transforming a region riddled with disputes and rivalries into a generally stable neighborhood. Already it has begun to build an Asia-Pacific network for peace through agreements, mechanisms, and processes for political and economic cooperation that it has been fashioning or getting involved in over the years. If only for these, ASEAN has contributed significantly to peace, security and stability in the Asia Pacific region.
But its greatest achievements in political cooperation are yet to come. Fortified by the solidarity of the Southeast Asian region and by the growing respect that is accorded it by the international community, and motivated by a desire to sustain its hard-earned economic dynamism, ASEAN may be reasonably expected to take new and farther-reaching initiatives at the start of a new millennium.
