Australia’s Bid to Join Asean a Non-Starter
Its membership could ruin Asean’s centrality
By: B A Hamzah
There are conflicting reports from down under that Canberra wants to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Graeme Dobell, a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, made the case most recently on September 28, arguing that “Australian partnership would be a game-changer for Asean, as well as altering Canberra’s role in the game. If Australia got serious and started pushing, Asean would get a buy-one-get-one free offer—Australia plus New Zealand. If Australia wants in, so will New Zealand.”
Quoting former prime minister Kevin Rudd, he argues that “Asean is becoming weaker and more divided over time.” and that “Australian membership would add to Asean’s economic ballast by more than a third. It would also help Australia and Indonesia manage their own long-term bilateral relationship—particularly as Indonesia becomes more powerful—as while common members of an important regional institution.”…