Book Launch on Cambodia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN: Challenging Perceptions, Concretizing Consolidations

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Another important duty will fall to Cambodia in 2022, following the country’s hosting of the 13th Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM) earlier this year, which took place in November. Cambodia’s next chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be the country’s third chairmanship since its accession to ASEAN in 1999.

With the generous sponsorship of The Asia Foundation, Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) has embarked on a significant book project with the theme “Cambodia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN: Challenging Perceptions, Concretizing Consolidations” that will be published in the near future. 

For relevant and interested stakeholders (including policymakers, diplomats, academics, and the general public at large), the book is intended to serve as a ‘guideline’ or even a ‘handbook’ to help them take stock of potential opportunities, become aware of impending challenges, and navigate their way through external influences.

The Book intends to establish a positive dialogue and discussion with important essential stakeholders at both the national and regional levels in order to share ideas at the commencement of Cambodia’s year as ASEAN Chair, as outlined in the Cambodian Constitution.

The book is divided into ten chapters, each of which is written by a distinguished academic or specialist on ASEAN. Ambassador Pou Sothirak, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, contributes the first chapter, which explores ASEAN centrality in the context of strategic geopolitical power.

Pich Charadine, CICP’s deputy director, expands on the issue of Cambodia’s Accession to ASEAN and 23 Years Later in Chapter 2. Her focus on this topic is on challenges, prospects, and maneuverability.

Kavi Chongkittavorn, a veteran journalist on ASEAN and regional issues and a columnist for the Bangkok Post, discusses ASEAN’s relevance for regional peace and security in chapter 3, while Dr. Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby, associate professor of international studies at De La Salle University, contributes in chapter 4 with her work on ASEAN Regionalism: An Aspiration or a Myth.

Dr. Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby, associate professor of international studies at De La Salle University joins as a panelist

In chapter 5, Po Sovinda, CICP research fellow and PhD candidate at Australian National University, discusses Cambodia’s 2022 ASEAN Chairmanship: Navigating Great Power Competition through Embracing External Partners.

In chapter 6, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son, vice president of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, highlights his contribution on ASEAN’s Position on the South China Sea Issue and the Future Prospects of a Code of Conduct. Dr. Collin Koh Swee Lean, a research fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore, contributes to Chapter 7, which looks at the continued relevance of ADMM and ADMM-plus through the maritime lens.

Dr. Bradley J.Murg, a distinguished fellow and senior advisor of CICP, contributes to Chapter 8 on the Economic Potential and Leverage of the ASEAN Economic Community, and Dr. Geetha Govindasamy, Associate Professor, University of Malaya, contributes to Chapter 9 on ASEAN Identity and ASEAN-ness.

Dr. Neak Chandarith, head of the Department of International Studies at the Royal University of Phnom Penh and chief architect of the ASEAN Festival in Cambodia, writes about Educational Linkages in ASEAN – ASEAN University Network in Chapter 10, which was co-authored by Sambath Sreysour, a PhD student at the University of Auckland.

In addition to the ten chapters listed above, Dr. Yang Ye, deputy director and associate professor at China Foreign Affairs University’s Institute of Asian Studies, provides an overview of the role of think tank networks and Track 2 diplomacy, including a case study of the Network of ASEAN-China Think Tank.

Lim Chhay and Likhedy Touch, co-founders and chapter leaders of the Young SEAkers Cambodia, also present the youth perspective on Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022. In the epilogue, John J. Brandon, senior director of the Asia Foundation’s International Relations Program, discusses Cambodia’s readiness to serve as ASEAN’s next Chair.