AHC: A closer ASEAN

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to get the ASEAN countries to have a joint parliament/government and greater cooperation. The PoD must be before 2010.

It can be an EU-style union, or something much closee than the current ASEAN

As for join projects regarding ASEAN, it is up to you if you want them to have a koint nuclear program, joint railway systems, or have an ASEAN military independent of national militaries. If you wish to add more or less programs, feel free to do so
 
It's hard, really. Conflict in interest, difference in political system, not to mention "difference" allies.

And they still are, at least ASEAN seems to be more active these days - I remember my teacher said (a few years ago) that ASEAN only "worked" since around 2010s.

In other words, if you want a more active ASEAN, many things have to be different from OTL, like
  • Vietnam should activate its Renovation program (allowing private enterprises) sooner (OTL was in 1986). In addition, normalize relationship with the West should also be sooner (first step was in early 90s, officially "done" in 2000)
  • Cambodia and Thailand should have a "strong" agreement regarding the border issue.
  • Myanmar should have some kind of "softer" government
  • Philipines should have a stronger armed force and economy (less dependent on USA)
In my opinion, if you want them to be together before 2010s, the best route is through economic and social development. But within 2010s, some military stuff should be included
 
The main issue is that the geostrategic core of ASEAN (Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia) have significant conflicts of interest and only a limited degree of interest in the rest of the region. Given their history I'm not sure how you could get them all pulling in the direction of a tighter-knit and more effective ASEAN, but absent that I think the idea is doomed to failure.
 
The core founding interest of ASEAN was non intervention in each others domestic affairs and assisting each other to resist intervention from outside parties. Given that these states have become internally stronger over the decades I'd say it was/is successful. ASEAN was never a NATO, EEC, EC or anything like that, these states will have to be secure in many senses of the word before the pass sovereignty to a supra national organisation.
 
The core founding interest of ASEAN was non intervention in each others domestic affairs and assisting each other to resist intervention from outside parties. Given that these states have become internally stronger over the decades I'd say it was/is successful. ASEAN was never a NATO, EEC, EC or anything like that, these states will have to be secure in many senses of the word before the pass sovereignty to a supra national organisation.

Exactly. People make jokes about all the confidence-building measures ASEAN employs, but that is in fact one of the main purposes of its existence - to build confidence among the members. Security can means lots of different things, and all of the ASEAN states face security challenges in one way or another. None of them are willing to give up what sovereignty they have, and Southeast Asia would ahve to look a lot different before they would be confident enough to do that.
 
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