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IPDS Centre of Study

Centre for ASEAN Studies

Research on ASEAN centrality, Southeast Asian trade and connectivity, maritime security, and Pakistan's engagement with the region.

10
ASEAN member states
680M+
Population across Southeast Asia
New
IPDS Centre of Study
About the Centre

Tracking ASEAN Centrality in a Contested Indo-Pacific

The Centre for ASEAN Studies is one of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies' (IPDS) constituent centres of study, established to build sustained research capacity on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — a ten-member bloc whose consensus-based diplomacy sits at the centre of Indo-Pacific great-power competition.

The Centre's work will track ASEAN's regional architecture and centrality, trade and connectivity initiatives including RCEP and the ASEAN Economic Community, maritime security questions including the South China Sea, and Pakistan's dialogue, trade and outreach relationships with Southeast Asian states.

As a newly launched centre within IPDS — an autonomous, non-partisan think-and-do tank headquartered in Islamabad — it is building out its research agenda and welcomes researchers, practitioners and Southeast Asia-focused scholars interested in contributing.

Parent Institute
Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS)
Focus
Research on ASEAN centrality, Southeast Asian trade and connectivity, maritime security, and Pakistan's engagement with the region.
Status
Newly established — research agenda in development
Location
Islamabad, Pakistan
What We Do

Research Focus Areas

ASEAN Centrality & Regional Architecture

How ASEAN's consensus-based institutions navigate great-power competition while pursuing deeper regional integration.

Trade, Connectivity & Economic Integration

RCEP, the ASEAN Economic Community, and the realignment of Indo-Pacific supply chains and connectivity infrastructure.

Maritime Security & the South China Sea

Territorial disputes, freedom-of-navigation questions, and the security postures of individual ASEAN member states.

Pakistan–ASEAN Engagement

Dialogue partnerships, trade linkages and Pakistan's diplomatic outreach to Southeast Asia.

Centre Output

Publications

Peer-reviewed and institute research relevant to this Centre's mandate.

Bamboo Diplomacy: Vietnam's Strategy of Resilience and Flexibility in a Multipolar World →

Peer-reviewed analysis of Vietnam's networked-multilateralism approach within ASEAN and beyond.

Journal of Peace & Diplomacy

Latest Coverage

Research & Insights

ASEAN and the South China Sea →

IPDS analysis of territorial disputes and freedom-of-navigation questions in the South China Sea.

IPDS Insights

In the News

Regional Coverage

Current-affairs coverage from IPDS's sister outlet, The Diplomatic Insight.

ASEAN Marks 59th Anniversary in Islamabad, Highlights Peace, Prosperity and Ties with Pakistan →

ASEAN's diplomatic corps in Islamabad on the bloc's anniversary and its ties with Pakistan.

The Diplomatic Insight

ASEAN's Enduring Relevance in a Shifting Global Geopolitical Landscape →

How ASEAN sustains its convening role amid intensifying US-China competition in the Indo-Pacific.

The Diplomatic Insight

Work With the Centre

For research collaboration, media enquiries, or to propose a contribution to the Centre's work, get in touch with the IPDS research desk.