Providing a contemporary discussion of ASEAN, this holistic Companion critically examines the organisation’s characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, politics and policies, internal dynamics, and external relations. This fascinating and informative Companion makes a significant contribution to the literature on ASEAN, providing a comprehensive overview of the organisation and evaluating multidisciplinary perspectives on Southeast Asian regionalism. Featuring novel insights by distinguished experts in the field, chapters examine ASEAN’s perspectives on security, human rights, and community formation, as well as analyse the relationship between ASEAN and other international organisations, including the EU. The book concludes with a discussion of contemporary discourse on ASEAN’s role in the multilateralism of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. This stimulating and provocative Companion will be essential reading for students and academics of Asian studies, international relations, political economy, and regulation and governance. It will also be beneficial to policymakers and diplomats with an interest in multilateralism in Asia and Southeast Asian regionalism.

This book argues that the new great power contest between the United States and the People's Republic of China, which has as its epicentre the complex Indo-Pacific region, is having a detrimental impact on the region's existing order system. Analysing why the great powers are increasingly at loggerheads, the manifold risks this entails, and how the various stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific can find a durable regional order more constructive than confrontational, the book, avoiding theory, proposes a new equilibrium based on practical ways to manage burgeoning conflict and maintain order and stability by compartmentalising problems and challenges while seeking to maintain a balance among stakeholder interests.