An Evolving ASEAN: Vision and Reality.

• Author: Chheang, Vannarith

An Evolving ASEAN: Vision and Reality, edited by Jayant Menon and Cassey Lee. Manila: Asian Development Bank, 2019. Pp. 198.

The edited volume An Evolving ASEAN: Vision and Reality provides interesting insights on the evolution of the region-making and region-building processes in Southeast Asia. Shedding light on ASEAN's community building exercise from the inside out, the authors take a deep dive into the motives, interests and reservations of the grouping's participant nations, the lessons they have learnt in the process, and their collective future direction. The book is particularly timely, as it helps readers understand ASEAN's policy response to mitigate the unprecedented challenges brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The book is a great starting point for researchers interested in ASEAN's socio-economic affairs. Presented in clear, simple language, it lays out even the most complex ideas in an easy-to-understand style, a feature that will be particularly useful for readers who are not familiar with the Association's organizational and operational structure. The volume is composed of seven chapters, plus an introduction by Narongchai Akrasanee, the former Minister for Energy and Minister for Commerce of Thailand. Through the elaborate narratives and detailed statistics, the authors not only examine ASEAN's evolution over the past five decades, but also foresee multiple futures for the regional organization. This pastpresent-future continuum is carefully constructed, with each author presenting a national perspective, followed by a shared experience.

Setting the historical context, the late former Secretary-General of ASEAN Rodolfo C. Severino argues that political and security interests were the main driving forces behind the establishment of ASEAN in 1967. During the Cold War, the grouping adopted a two-pronged strategic approach. This included: first, preventing historical disputes among member states from developing into armed conflicts; and second, keeping major external powers from using the region as an arena for their own battles. The focus shifted progressively towards economic integration during early 1990s, with the conclusion of ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1992, the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) in 1995, the ASEAN Investment Area (AIA) in 1998, and subsequently with the introduction of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. Although there are several shortcomings and challenges in the realization...