Inside ASEAN: Myths, Realities, and the Question of Unity

Dr Ilango Karuppannan, Former Malaysian Ambassador

21-Oct-25 15:00

Inside ASEAN: Myths, Realities, and the Question of Unity

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Southeast Asia is one of the most diverse regions in the world, not just ethnically and culturally but also politically. It’s a region where Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians; democracies, monarchies, and communist states coexist side by side.

However, since the formation of ASEAN, there have been questions and narratives about its potential split or how it’s doomed to fail. But just how true is that? What are the important nuances concerning ASEAN that people need to be aware of?

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Ilango Karuppannan, a retired Malaysian Ambassador with 33 years of frontline diplomatic experience. He’s also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. He runs a YouTube channel called Diplomatify, where he recently posted a video titled Is ASEAN Really Breaking Up — or Just Being Framed That Way?

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Dashran Yohan

Presented by: Dashran Yohan

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Categories: international, government

Tags: Diplomatify, the bigger picture, beyond the ballot box, asean, southeast asia, asean 2025, international relations,

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