Armed rebellion in the ASEAN states: persistence and implications

Abstract

Armed rebellions have challenged central authority in the various ASEAN states since 1975. The persistence, duration and severity of armed rebellions, particularly separatist rebellions, demonstrate the failure of at least some of the ASEAN states in achieving legitimacy for the post-independence political structures as well as continued internal weakness. The external dimensions of some of these challenges, involving neighbouring ASEAN states in some cases, have also heightened mutual mistrust among these states. This in turn has placed constraints on the development of ASEAN cooperative regionalism. Show more