Today as ASEAN -- the Association of Southeast Asian Nations of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand -- approaches its 20th birthday, it may not be a household word even within its member countries, but it has had a promising beginning. Economically the most flourishing of all regional groupings in the developing world, it is also stable politically and socially -- recent events in the Philippines notwithstanding. ASEAN economic cooperation leaves much to be desired, and the recent economic slowdown will challenge ASEAN resiliency, but overall ASEAN truly is a success story.Based on conference at the East-West Center attended by ASEAN and other national leaders, government officials, and academics, this book examines in depth and from several perspectives the factors underlying ASEAN's success -- as well as documenting some of the failures. It provides a unique and up to date collection of economic and other data of immense value to the scholar and administrator, yet it is easy to read and has much to offer the journalist or layperson seeking not-too-technical analyses and a handy reference resource on ASEAN today.rnrnThe book contains overviews by the prime minister of Thailand and deputy prime minister of Malaysia. It goes on to deal with such major current issues as rapid urbanization, income inequality, the nuclearization of the family, industrial and trade policies to promote growth, access to Japanese markets, the Kampuchea problem, and the Philippines crisis, as well as with fundamental questions of ASEAN's integration in the economic sphere and its growing contribution to regional and world political stability.