ASEAN was founded to manage regional quarrels, build national resilience and cope with an uncertain Cold War environment.
On 8 August 1967, five states signed the Bangkok Declaration. They were Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The new group was the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Its stated aims were to work together on trade, society and culture, and to keep the region peaceful and stable.
Regional needs drove it. Indonesia's Konfrontasi against Malaysia had ended only in 1966. Other quarrels, such as the Philippine claim to Sabah, remained. Two earlier groups, formed in 1961 and 1963, had failed. ASEAN offered a way to handle quarrels by talking.
Each member had its own aims. Indonesia under Suharto wanted to rebuild trust and to lead the region. Singapore, independent only since 1965, wanted to be accepted and to be safe. Thailand, whose foreign minister Thanat Khoman hosted the meeting, wanted strong non-communist neighbours.
The Cold War made it urgent. The Vietnam War was growing. Communist rebels threatened several members. And in 1967-68 Britain said it would pull its forces out of the region. Members hoped that working together would make them rely less on outside powers.
- Bangkok Declaration
- 8 August 1967.
- Founding members
- Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand.
- Earlier groupings
- ASA (1961) and Maphilindo (1963).
- British withdrawal
- Announced 1967-68, east of Suez.
Worked example: Weighing the factors behind formation
An H2 essay asks which factor did most to shape ASEAN's formation.
- Regional interests: managing disputes after Konfrontasi.
- Member interests: Indonesia's rehabilitation, Singapore's security, Thailand's concerns.
- Cold War: Vietnam, insurgencies and British withdrawal.
- Judgement: the Cold War created urgency, but regional reconciliation made ASEAN possible.
Watch out for this
ASEAN was formed as a military alliance against communism.
ASEAN avoided a military role. Its aims were cooperation and stability, though its members were all non-communist and worried about communism.
Check your understanding
Which event just before 1967 made ASEAN possible?
- The end of Indonesia's Konfrontasi against Malaysia in 1966
- The fall of Saigon
- The end of the Cold War