Ethno-Cultural Diversity: A Challenging Parameter for ASEAN Regional Integration

It can be assumed that ethno-cultural diversity presents a challenge to achieving a full-fledged regional community. It has a profound influence upon internal political security and stability which provokes a far-reaching effect upon governments ’ policy orientation, and in part determining whether the process of regional integration turns into a stable progress or slides toward tension and conflict. Even if economic-led approaches are being implemented with the aim of bolstering the integration process, divergent identities based on ethno-cultural diversities are an acute challenge for both governments’ strategic-oriented policies and actions. This article thus sheds light on these issues by capturing the case of the Southeast Asian region in the context of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Community, and argues that not only do such diversities shape the political practices of member states, but that as a consequence, interrupt the process of economic-led approaches to regional integration