“…A notable development in Asian international relations studies since the end of the Cold War has been the development of a significant body of theoretical literature to explain the evolution of ASEAN. Thus, analysts have debated whether ASEAN is a security community (Acharya, 2009a, 2009b, 2012; Emmers, 2012; Khoo, 2015) engaged in theoretical reflections on the relevance of non-material as opposed to material determinants in regional affairs (Jones & Smith, 2006, 2007a, 2007b; Peou, 2002), and considered whether the region or the state is the appropriate level of analysis (Ba, 2009; Jones, 2012; Jones & Smith, 2006, 2007a, 2007b). This article continues this debate.…”