The heads of government of the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will convene in Sydney on 17–18 March 2018 at the invitation of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit. This paper provides concise background to and context for the summit.

From modest beginnings in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has become the premier regional institution in Southeast Asia. The 10 members are pursuing cooperation to develop the ‘ASEAN Community’ and also sponsor wider dialogues that involve the major powers. Australia has been interested in ASEAN since its inauguration and was the first...

This paper seeks to provide a concise survey of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)'s recent progress and major policy emphases and challenges. Introduction The Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) is the premier regional grouping in East Asia. It is widely credited for its substantial contribution to making Southeast Asia more stable and...

• In June 2008 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that Australia would seek to encourage development of an ‘Asia Pacific Community’ by 2020. He argued that no existing cooperation forum so far brings together the whole Asia Pacific region and it was therefore desirable to review the region’s ‘architecture’. This paper surveys the background to...

Burma’s military government dominates the country’s politics and its economy. It has continued to repress political opponents (including Aung San Suu Kyi) and its record in economic development and human rights is considered widely to be poor. While a number of Western governments have condemned the Burma regime’s policies, its relations with neighbouring countries (most...