“ASEAN centrality” in a bifurcated world : assessing the institutional impact of the shifting regional order on ASEAN centrality

• Main Author: Ow, Eunice Xue Yi
• Other Authors: Kei Koga
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Social sciences::Political science::International relations; Social sciences::Political science::Political institutions
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/150491
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

ASEAN centrality, which can be defined as the institutional anchor and symbol of leadership for ASEAN, is growing increasingly significant. Yet, little studies have been done to study its developments. With the rising tensions between the US and China, it is apt to consider the impact of such shifting balance of power on ASEAN centrality. This paper uses a theory of institutional change rooted in historical institutionalism to analyse the type of institutional change and its implications. By examining the political and institutional characteristics of ASEAN centrality, the paper finds that ASEAN centrality has undergone institutional layering by layering ‘internal’ and ‘external’ centrality with a multitude of initiatives. Notwithstanding, this layering has not prevented the rise of Chinese-led mechanisms. However, this does not simply suggest that ASEAN Centrality is in demise, as ASEAN centrality can see new forms of institutional change.