The ASEAN-Way and Multilateralism in the Asia-Pacific Region

Abstract

In the past two decades, countries in the Asia-Pacific region experienced a new phase of dynamics: multilateralism. Two compatible tracks of regional processes—Asia-Pacific and East Asian—have shared a common modality, i.e. the ASEAN-way diplomacy. This paper starts with a summary of a modus operandi of Asia Pacific/East Asian multilateralism. The main theoretical puzzle is “why is it the ASEAN-way diplomacy, not a hegemonic way?” Borrowing the concept of equilibrium from economic philosophy, I suggest that the ASEAN-way diplomacy is not only a necessary condition to start regional multilateralism but also a sufficient element to create a Nash equilibrium that satisfies strategic rationales of regional powers at the nascent stage of Asia Pacific multilateralism.