REVIEWING THE 14th AND 15th ASEAN SUMMIT 2009: CRISIS AND OPPORTUNITIES

The aim of this article is to investigate the major developments of regionalism in Southeast Asia through the ASEAN Summit and related summits which were held in Thailand in 2009. The 2009 summit ought to be given some attention as it was the first Summit held after the implementation of the ASEAN Charter which isexpected to bring significant changes to operations and vision of ASEAN. ASEAN, at this Summit, was expected to deal with the coming economic crisis as the region was under severe effects of the global economic recession. However, the political turmoil in Thailand, the current chair of ASEAN became a concern as it had to postpone the Summit and other related important summits including the Asean Plus Three (APT) and East Asia Summit (EAS). The crisis is a double-edged sword for regionalism. While it could undermine the capability of individual government and actors, it also could generate strong motive and catalyst as witnessed through the aftermath of the economic crisis in 1997-98. Thus, this article argues that the current crisis-like conditions in the region should be considered as a critical juncture for the ASEAN’s long term goal of establishing community.