The Role of ASEAN in Facilitating Regional Security Cooperation Post-COVID-19

Thesis Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reshaped regional security dynamics in Southeast Asia, highlighting the importance of multilateral cooperation frameworks such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This study investigates the evolving role of ASEAN in facilitating regional security cooperation in the aftermath of the pandemic, addressing the increasing complexities of transnational threats, including health crises, cyber threats, and territorial disputes. The primary aim is to analyze ASEAN’s mechanisms, diplomatic engagement, and policy responses that underpin regional security initiatives post-COVID-19, with specific objectives to identify key factors influencing cooperation, assess the effectiveness of ASEAN-led security frameworks, and propose strategic improvements. Employing a qualitative research design complemented by quantitative methods, the study collected data through semi-structured interviews with 30 policymakers, security experts, and ASEAN officials, along with a survey administered to 250 regional security practitioners and scholars. Data triangulation was used to ensure robustness, with qualitative data analyzed via thematic analysis and quantitative data processed using multiple regression analysis to examine relationships between variables such as institutional trust, member state compliance, and perceived security cooperation outcomes. The theoretical underpinning is grounded in regional security complex theory and constructivist perspectives on international cooperation, providing a lens to interpret ASEAN's diplomatic initiatives within broader regional and global security contexts. Key findings are anticipated to reveal that ASEAN’s effectiveness in post-pandemic security cooperation is significantly influenced by the institutional trust among member states, the strength of ASEAN-led dialogue mechanisms, and the adaptability of its frameworks to emerging threats. The analysis is expected to demonstrate that while ASEAN has made considerable strides in fostering dialogue and confidence-building measures, challenges persist in operational coordination, resource allocation, and addressing asymmetries among member states. Results also suggest that ASEAN's response to COVID-19 has revitalized its centrality in regional security architectures, but sustainable cooperation requires enhanced institutional capacity and more inclusive security agendas. The study contributes to current scholarly debates by providing a nuanced understanding of ASEAN’s security posture in a post-pandemic context, filling gaps related to the efficacy of regional mechanisms under crisis conditions and the impact of pandemic-driven health-security linkages on political and strategic stability. It offers a comprehensive conceptual framework integrating institutional trust metrics, policy adaptation indices, and security cooperation outcomes, which can serve as a basis for future empirical evaluations. Furthermore, it advances theoretical discourse by demonstrating how constructivist and regional security complex theories intersect in practical regional diplomacy with complex transnational threats. The main conclusion emphasizes that ASEAN’s role in regional security cooperation post-COVID-19 has been both challenged and reinforced; its future effectiveness hinges on enhancing institutional resilience, broadening security cooperation beyond traditional military concerns, and fostering deeper integration among member states. Key recommendations include strengthening ASEAN’s collaborative capacity via dedicated security and crisis response units, increasing transparency and confidence-building measures, and embedding health security within broader regional security strategies. The study advocates for policy-oriented reforms aimed at leveraging ASEAN’s diplomatic platforms to adapt swiftly to emerging security challenges, ensuring regional stability and resilience against future crises. Suggested avenues for further research include comparative analyses of ASEAN and other regional organizations' responses to global crises, and longitudinal studies tracking security cooperation trajectories over the next decade.