ASEAN: Sovereignty, Control and a Secure Community

Indonesia will propose a security community concept to bring relevance to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the current ministerial meetings in Phnom Penh, the Jakarta Post reports. The proposal is an attempt to retain a sense of sovereignty and control within ASEAN in the face of growing U.S. involvement in the region. ASEAN lacks a strong central leader, complicating efforts to balance a regional security concept and maintain the principles of noninterference. But lurking in Asia is a potential alternative to the United States: China.