ASEAN’s Role in Regional Security in Southeast Asia and Its Implications for Vietnam

Abstract

Amid the complex security landscape of Southeast Asia – marked by overlapping
sovereignty disputes in the East Sea, the Myanmar’s political crisis, ethnic and religious conflicts
and non-traditional security challenges, ASEAN plays a pivotal role in maintaining regional
stability, serving both as a “norm builder” in sustaining peace and stability and a “mediator”
among major powers. Drawing on Role Theory, this paper examines ASEAN’s role in regional
security situation, exploring how external expectations and ASEAN’s internal self-perception
influence how it behaves and positions itself in maintaining Southeast Asia’s security . Based on
this analysis, the paper also offers implications for clarifying Vietnam’s position and strategic
responses toward the current security situation in Southeast Asia.