The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been showing a number of significant developments since the establishment on August 8th, 1967. Not only has been able to include Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia as its members, ASEAN has also been succeeding to transform itself from merely a diplomacy forum to a more institutionalized regional institution. ASEAN Charter, which was signed in 2007 by the members of ASEAN, is the milestone of ASEAN’s institutionalization. In order to support its institutionalization, ASEAN has planned to establish ‘ASEAN Community’ in 2015.
The leaders of ASEAN member states seem to have a higher target. In 2003, these leaders planned to achieve the ASEAN Community in 2020. However in 2007 they decided to accelerate the plan, and eventually the ASEAN Community is expected to be realized in 2015. ASEAN Community 2015 has opened many opportunities in political, economic, and cultural fields for ASEAN member states.
The next plan is embedded within ASEAN Community Vision 2025. However, we must acknowledge that ASEAN Community Vision 2025 will also pose its member states with various risks that appear as inevitable results of this Community.
In order to respond recent development as well as the challenges that Indonesia will likely face after the emergence of ASEAN Community Vision 2015, the Department of International Relations, faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia created the ASEAN Study Center FISIP UI, based on the Dean’s Decree No. 522/H2.F9.D/HKP.D2.04/2013 released on February 8th, 2013. The Study Center aims to support the endeavors of the government to pursue the national interests of Indonesia, specially related to the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, together with constructive efforts to strengthen the regionalism in Southeast Asia.
The ASEAN Study Center (ASC) is devoted to research on issues that pertain to the ASEAN as an institution and a process. Through research, conferences, consultations, and publications, ASC seeks to illuminate ways of promoting ASEAN’s purposes of political solidarity, economic integration and regional cooperation, and finding pragmatic solutions to the challenges on the path to achieving this. ASC conducts studies and provides inputs and ideas to ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat on issues and events that call for collective ASEAN actions and responses, especially those pertinent to building the ASEAN Community.