Association of Southeast Asian Nations

"The ASEAN. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations. We always thought that we can do the right thing by keeping the peace in Southeast Asia... but now we were wrong when Vietnam violated its membership policy."

--Su Ji-Hoon, The Southeast Asian Dilemma

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN /ˈɑːsi.ɑːn/ AH-see-ahn, /ˈɑːzi.ɑːn/ AH-zee-ahn) is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian countries which promotes Pan-Asianism and intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational and socio-cultural integration amongst its members and other Asian countries. Since its formation on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, the organization's membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Its principal aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and sociocultural evolution among its members, alongside the protection of regional stability and the provision of a mechanism for member countries to resolve differences peacefully. ASEAN is an official United Nations Observer, as well as an active global partner. Communication by members across nations takes place in English.