Abstract

Amidst heightened expectations regarding ASEAN’s contribution to international order, particularly in the context of a trend towards multilevel security governance, ASEAN is attempting to transform itself into a more proactive and effective organisation. Under Indonesia’s chairmanship, it has approached the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia as a significant opportunity to develop its capacity for conflict management and resolution. However, the ensuing diplomatic saga in the Thai, Cambodian and Indonesian capitals has served to remind us of the many obstacles that ASEAN invariably faces in this endeavour, not least of which are powerful domestic interests and actors with divergent motivations.