ASEAN Lecture by Professor Amitav Acharya on “ASEAN at 50: Reflections on Its Past, Present and Future”

Professor Amitav Acharya, The Boeing Company Chair in International Relations of the Schwarzman Scholars Program, Tsinghua University; and Distinguished Professor of International Relations, American University delivered a Lecture titled “ASEAN at 50: Reflections on Its Past, Present and Future” at the ASEAN Lecture Series organised by the ASEAN Studies Centre.

ASEAN STUDIES CENTRE



Professor Amitav Acharya delivering the ASEAN Lecture on 1 February 2017 (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)

1 February 2017 – Professor Amitav Acharya, The Boeing Company Chair in International Relations of the Schwarzman Scholars Program, Tsinghua University; and Distinguished Professor of International Relations, American University delivered a Lecture titled “ASEAN at 50: Reflections on Its Past, Present and Future” at the ASEAN Lecture Series organised by the ASEAN Studies Centre. The Lecture was chaired by Professor Wang Gungwu, Chairman, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Board of Trustees.

Drawing from his research on Southeast Asia multilateralism, Professor Acharya shared that ASEAN today finds itself with the attendant responsibilities and expectations of its larger multilateral role. This is now being tested by the changing strategic environment. China’s new approach to engaging the individual ASEAN members has highlighted differences in ASEAN unity or neutrality. ASEAN will need to respond to these challenges by forging closer personal ties among the region’s leaders in more frequent and less formal meetings, and by taking mini-lateral approaches to global and regional challenges.


Participants at the ASEAN Lecture (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute) 

Over 100 people, including diplomats, government officials, business leaders, academics, students and members of the media attended the lecture.

The ASEAN Lecture Series features high-level policy- makers, eminent scholars, public intellectuals and business leaders discussing transformative ideas that will shape the development of the region, in addition to fostering a better understanding of ASEAN, and its relations with the international community.