Kuala Lampur, Oct. 22 -- When the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) was founded on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by five countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand - it was not a grand geopolitical project. It was, instead, a pragmatic response to fear.

Fear of communism spreading through Indochina, fear of Cold War rivalries turning South-east Asia into another proxy battlefield, and fear that newly independent states might collapse under their own internal divisions.

What began as a modest regional pact among neighbours has since evolved into one of the world's most enduring multilateral institutions.

Today, Asean includes ten member states, with Timor-Leste preparing to become its eleventh, re...