{"id":41405,"date":"2025-08-29T17:01:58","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T17:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.itasean.org\/?p=41405"},"modified":"2025-08-29T17:02:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T17:02:02","slug":"la-centralita-dellasean-al-test-thailandia-cambogia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itasean.org\/en\/la-centralita-dellasean-al-test-thailandia-cambogia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Centrality of ASEAN Tested by Thailand-Cambodia Conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recent armed clashes along the border between the two member countries of the Southeast Asian group call into question the region\u2019s core principle<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By Emanuele Ballestracci<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Since 2008, with the codification of the principle of \u201cASEAN Centrality,\u201d its ten member states have pursued the ambition of making the organization the cornerstone of the Indo-Pacific regional architecture and the main channel of engagement with external partners. This perspective has immediately been tested by internal crises\u2014such as the civil war in Myanmar\u2014and by the inability to adopt common diplomatic positions, particularly regarding maritime disputes with China. In this context, the recent conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has only highlighted the difficulties in implementing this principle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter\u2014the organization\u2019s founding document\u2014the principle of \u201cCentrality\u201d was formally enshrined, a concept that had already emerged in the 1990s with the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Forum and the ASEAN+3 format. The Charter came in a climate of renewed optimism, following the completion of the enlargement that brought the organization to include, beyond the five founding members (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines), also Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. This was a step forward intended to strengthen ASEAN\u2019s relevance on the international and, above all, regional stage. However, the effective application of \u201cCentrality\u201d appeared from the outset to be challenging due to several factors: unresolved territorial disputes; an institutional architecture not designed to fulfill this role; increasing international instability; and the different alliance systems of the members\u2014despite the traditional non-alignment policy that unites them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although ASEAN Centrality has been recognized by the United States, the European Union, and numerous other small and medium powers, and implemented through platforms such as the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum, the inability to develop common positions on crucial dossiers\u2014from the crisis in Myanmar to the disputes in the South China Sea\u2014has made it clear that full implementation remains complicated. Notable examples include the failure to reach consensus in 2012 on a joint communiqu\u00e9 that would have articulated a common position on China\u2019s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, and the inability to jointly conduct negotiations for the Code of Conduct (CoC) aimed at regulating activities in the area. In the first case, Cambodia and Laos blocked the initiative under pressure from Beijing\u2014their main economic and security partner\u2014while the stagnation of the CoC, often attributed to the lack of willingness of some members, is pushing the Philippines to strengthen defense cooperation with the United States. It emerges that the lack of unity among ASEAN countries is the main obstacle to the very principle of \u201cCentrality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These critical issues had already been recognized within the organization, to the point that in January 2025 a workshop was launched to explore possible reforms of norms and practices to allow ASEAN to reposition itself at the center of regional security architecture. However, the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia that erupted in July, causing 36 deaths and over 300,000 displaced persons, has further weakened these efforts. Latent territorial disputes, strong nationalism, and the need for both governments to redirect internal discontent outward have at least temporarily interrupted one of ASEAN\u2019s achievements: the absence of armed conflicts between member states since its founding in 1967. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inability to reach an agreement on resolving the dispute raises further questions, as the escalation has made any concession even more costly for both parties. Moreover, should tensions persist, a plausible scenario includes the reopening of U.S. military bases in Thailand and a further strengthening of Sino-Cambodian defense cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The principle of ASEAN Centrality, constantly tested by internal and international challenges, currently needs to be reaffirmed and promoted in a cohesive manner.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recenti scontri armati al confine tra i due Paesi membri del gruppo del Sud-Est asiatico mettono in discussione il principio cardine della regione Di Emanuele Ballestracci Dal 2008, con la codificazione del principio di \u201cCentralit\u00e0 dell\u2019ASEAN\u201d, i suoi dieci Paesi membri hanno perseguito l\u2019ambizione di rendere l\u2019organizzazione l\u2019architrave dell\u2019architettura regionale dell\u2019Indo-Pacifico e il principaleContinue reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":41406,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":[],"_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":0,"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":""},"categories":[170,513,93],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nLa Centralit\u00e0 dell\u2019ASEAN al test Thailandia-Cambogia - 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