Abstract
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is generally viewed as the most successful inter-governmental organization in the developing world. This association has grown over the year to include all the countries in Southeast Asia, except the newly independent East Timor. Today, the ASEAN region has a population of about 500 million, a combined gross domestic product of almost 700 billion dollars and a total trade of about 850 billion dollars. The fact remains, however, that multilateral projects have progressed slowly. According to many commentators and analysts, despite ASEAN's undeniable success in international forums, regionalism appears to have fossilized at the initial stages and some hopeful beginnings have even decayed.
