A new Asean community?

Many already live

it
the creation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC), a move that will bring about greater
economic integration and cooperation. since 2012, Indonesia has begun to invest in think-tanks,
departments and research centres in universities to promote the idea of Asean and the AEC.
These centres have been set up "to socialise", or popularise, the concept of Asean and the AEC,
in preparation for the changes ahead. For surely Asean - as a complex abstract idea - cannot
simply lie in the buildings and institutions associated with its work, impressive though those
buildings may be architecturally.
Complex ideas are not things that are embodied in non-sentient monuments, but rather embedded
in the collective socio-psychological architecture of societies. Asean may be symbolised by
objects like buildings, flags and logos, but as an idea, it is carried in the hearts and minds of
people.
Giving life to an idea
Here we need to distinguish two processes: While Asean integration has been happening on a
multi-state level, driven by governments and capital, centuries before Asean was even concocted,
there was already the longer history of South-east Asian integration and social movement.
When we speak about the "global age" of "cosmopolitan citizens", we tend to focus more on
urbanised elite communities, but we forget that along the border zones of the entire region, there
remain communities who are hybrid, polyglot, who have multiple identities and who are just as
comfortable with the reality of living in complex plural environments.
It is here that the connection has to be made, between the abstract idea of Asean integration and
the realities of people who live in a South-east Asia that is intertwined and inter-connected.
The reasons why this is so important at this stage are twofold:
The concept of a common home
FIRST, in order to give societies the means to appreciate and understand the processes of change
Second, to remind South-east Asians that living in an Asean economic community that is more
inter-connected and inter-dependent is not a new or threatening thing, but in line with the history
of movement, migration and investment in the region for hundreds of years.
With the AEC almost upon us, the need to socialise and popularise the concept of Asean - and the
notion of a collective belonging to South-east Asia as the common home to all in the region - is
greater than ever before.

ASEAN Community big challenge

for new FM, says Hassan
ASEAN Community had become a big project for its member states. Under the concept of the
ASEAN Community, ASEAN, which was established on Aug. 8, 1967, will become a single
community of nations.
The region will transform into a single political-security community, economic community and
socio-cultural community. Such a transformation will be marked as a historical milestone
because ASEAN will become a community with one vision and one identity. To make the
ASEAN Community happen is not easy, so the new foreign minister had to increase
communication with ministers from other countries in ASEAN regarding the preparation for
entering the ASEAN Community. International acceptance is a big asset for Indonesia. Retno
Lestari Priansari Marsudi as the new foreign minister had to ensure that indonesia did not only
become market for other countries and other countries will accept such ideas and concepts from
indonesia.
What does the new Indonesian government mean for Australia and ASEAN?