The integration of southeast Asia: ASEAN's role in the creation of a security community

This dissertation argues that the methods and practices of regional cooperation promoted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has created a security community in which dependable expectations of peace prevail. Based on Karl Deutsch's conception of a pluralistic security community, the dissertation examines the perceptions of the politically relevant populations of the region for the presence of conditions described by Deutsch as being necessary for such a community to exist. Regional English language newspapers from the time periods surrounding the annual ASEAN foreign ministers meetings from 1967–1980 were reviewed to gain a sense of the perceptions toward ASEAN and regional cooperation, and to look for the existence of common core values. To gain a deeper and more contemporary knowledge of perceptions towards ASEAN and security issues, personal interviews were conducted with members of the politically relevant populations during the spring of 1993. The findings of the research indicates a strong linkage between the existence and practices of ASEAN and the presence of shared perceptions of core values with regards to problem solving, perceptions of security, and the likelihood of lasting peace.