Dr Linda Quayle was among the invited speakers at a conference held by Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia, to mark the Golden Anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The theme of the conference, which took place from 21 to 23 August, was Embracing ASEAN Community, Harmonising Diversity.

Linda’s address, in the first plenary session, was entitled Better To Walk Alone? ASEAN and Contemporary Resistance to Multilateral Cooperation.

The paper considered the headwinds facing multilateral endeavours at present, and analysed some of the reasons for this changed environment, including global power shifts, disillusionment with economic globalisation, and a tendency, after the Cold War, to underestimate continuing global diversity and overestimate the amount of genuine consensus available to support ambitious multilateral initiatives.

In the current unpropitious environment, Linda argued, ASEAN needs to restate its original goal of resisting great-power interference, redouble its efforts to involve the region’s people, and above all, not repeat the mistakes that have undermined cooperation in other multilateral arenas.



Other invited speakers were Dr Termsak Chalermpalanupap, a Fellow at the ASEAN Studies Centre, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore; Mr Ekraj Imran Sabur, Director of the International Institute of Peace and Development Studies, Bangkok, Thailand; and Mr Aswin Ariyanto Aziz, a Lecturer in the International Relations Department of Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

The conference was also attended by Mr Chilman Arisman, Indonesia’s delegate on the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN. Mr Chilman chaired the Expert Panel Session, in which plenary speakers were invited to offer recommendations with regard to Indonesia’s contribution to ASEAN.