Specialist conference
Details
The world is facing challenges of a magnitude and at an unprecedented speed not seen since the end of the Cold War. These challenges are manifested in conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and tensions over the Taiwan Strait, the Korean Peninsula, festering disputes in the South China Sea, now accompanied by a rising China unafraid to confront an increasingly inward-looking United States and threatening to unravel the international legal order.
The geopolitical situation is exacerbated by emerging forces of change including signs of retreat from globalisation and heightened insular attitudes driven by liberalism, protectionism, and authoritarianism. Southeast Asia has benefitted from a functioning multilateral order that has delivered peace, stability, and security for close to six decades.
Over this period, ASEAN has been able to conceive of itself as a collective grouping, constitutionalise itself by way of a Charter, and dream of regional economic integration. Yet, if the current multilateral system were to malfunction, it could undermine ASEAN’s progress and jeopardise its future aspirations for further integration.
ASEAN has often come under intense criticism for its inability to prove its effectiveness to the world, or even to its members. The 39 ASEAN Roundtable will discuss how ASEAN might rethink its agency in the face of global challenges.
We are honoured to have H.E. Dr Sok Siphana, Senior Minister in charge of Special Missions (Multilateral Trade and Economic Affairs) of the Royal Government of Cambodia, as our Keynote Speaker at the ASEAN Roundtable. A stellar panel of regional thought leaders, experts, and notable personalities will participate in the discussion. Details can be found in the attached Programme.
The annual ASEAN Roundtable is a platform for leading scholars and commentators to examine key issues and challenges affecting ASEAN as a region and as an institution. The event is supported by us, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
