Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Cooperation Problems on Human Rights

Though the original focus of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was primarily economic cooperation, the adoption of the ASEAN charter in November 2007 officially included cooperation on human rights. This article examines three hypotheses to determine the causes of cooperation problems: regime type, non-interference policy, and absence of an enforcement mechanism in the ASEAN charter. The article argues that regime type is important but it is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition; the non-interference policy is necessary but not sufficient; and it is the absence of an enforcement mechanism in the ASEAN charter that causes cooperation problems on human rights.