ASEAN's Cooperative Security Enterprise: Norms and Interests in the ASEAN Regional Forum

Does the cooperative security enterprise of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) matter? If so, in what sense? Can the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) be regarded as one of the pathways to regional security in Asia? Most students of Asian Security regard the ARF as a useless 'talking shop' in which no significant measure to achieve security has been instituted. However, this book demonstrates that something interesting is taking place inside this talking shop. It shows that an association of minor powers in Southeast Asia is promoting its cooperative security norm, thereby influencing the policies of its external partners, such as China, the US and Australia. The overarching conclusion of this book is that ASEAN's Cooperative security enterprise does matter, and the ARF is an important pathway to regional security. Such a conclusion suggests that ASEAN's cooperative security enterprise is a reasonable model for security cooperative in an East Asian community in East Asia.