An insight account of the history of ASEAN from its conceptualization, past and current day issues by its former General.  

As mentioned by Seldon W Simon,Professor of International Politics, Arizona State University, "There is no one in a better position to assess the trials and tribulations of Asia's most renowned International Organisation..

THe book provides an account of the events and and evaluation of the process in which the ASEAN countries have taken to established a community which, from the words lf the Bali Concord II states.... "shall be established comprising three pillars namely political and security cooperation, economic cooperation and socio-cultural cooperation."

He is frank and honest in his evaluation that because different sets of officials drafted and are driving the 3 segment each areas have somewhat developed on its own tangent in a somewhat compartmentalized way.

Political difference between countries the original six and even more so the new entrants , Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma are seen as major obstacles. It cited the example where four of the nine implementing protocols of the Ventiane Action Program for the "Operationalization of  the ASEAN Framework Agreement for the Facilitation of Goods in Transit" could not be concluded because of disputes between Singapore and Malaysia.

The author is in the general optimistic about the future of ASEAN but realistic about the speed of progress in achieving various initiativs and more the quality of implmentation of agreed iniatiatives. 

See Blog on related subject The Issue of Non-interference