Skip to main content

Distributed for National University of Singapore Press

The ASEAN Charter

A Commentary

Forty years after the Bangkok Declaration, which established the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a new document was drafted as a result of “bold and visionary recommendations” of an ASEAN Committee of Eminent Persons. The ASEAN Charter, which came into force in 2008, provides ASEAN’s legal status and institutional framework. In effect, it is a legally binding agreement among the 10 ASEAN Member States. In many respects, however, the Charter is more important as an aspirational document.


Written by one of the persons involved in the negotiations leading to the adoption of the Charter, this meticulously researched publication helps readers navigate the ambiguities of the Charter by detailing an insider’s background, provision by provision, of the debates that went into the making of the ASEAN Charter. It not only explains how the provisions of the Charter came to be drafted, but also how they relate to the realities of diplomatic practice. This volume will be an indispensable reference for scholars, working diplomats, and businesses and institutions that have a stake in ASEAN. 

360 pages | 6 x 9 | © 2015

Asian Studies:

Law and Legal Studies:

Political Science:


Nus Press Pte Ltd image

View all books from Nus Press Pte Ltd

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press