Introduction

East Meets West

“…281 In light of this, the ASEAN, together with ASPAC, brought in a new dawn in the Southeast Asian region and was not seen to serve any military function, but rather cater to a new concept of security that catered on coordinated and concerted political actions based on joint undertakings. 282 Furthermore, the ASEAN was viewed to serve to ease tensions amongst its member states, limit competition, and be able to produce tangible outcomes. 283 As early as the Bangkok Declaration, there was emphasis amongst the member states, like in the Bandung Conference, on consultation and consensus-based decision-making.…”