ASEAN and the Zopfan Concept

For two decades, ASEAN has officially been striving for the establishment of a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) in Southeast Asia. The concept is an original indigenous prescription for an ideal regional order managed by the Southeast Asian states themselves without external interference. However, the realization of this project is proving to be a rather difficult task that is still far from being completed. This paper examines the ZOPFAN proposal in terms of its origins and genesis, its conceptualization, and its prospects of being put into operation. Special consideration is given to the way the concept deals with the problems of zonal neutrality. The paper concludes that, against the background of recent developments in international and regional affairs, the gap between ZOPFAN in theory and ZOPFAN in reality is bound to remain for quite some time. Whether the gap between theory and reality will be narrowed increasingly depends on the Southeast Asian states.