The heads of government of the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will convene in Sydney on 17–18 March 2018 at the invitation of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit. This paper provides concise background to and context for the summit.

The ASEAN–Australia summit in Sydney in March is the launch point for a discussion of what much closer cooperation could mean for the future of the ASEAN Community.

Facing a future of relative decline, changing power balances and alliance uncertainty, Australia must make ASEAN and Southeast Asia its priority for economic, political and security cooperation.

Even as ASEAN’s strategic pertinence steadily increases, the member states of the grouping face a dilemma over collective action that challenges not only perceptions of ASEAN’s efficacy but also the overall security of Southeast Asia.

From modest beginnings in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has become the premier regional institution in Southeast Asia. The 10 members are pursuing cooperation to develop the ‘ASEAN Community’ and also sponsor wider dialogues that involve the major powers. Australia has been interested in ASEAN since its inauguration and was the first...