ASEAN has long been urged to act as a collective middle power, especially as the strategic environment in which it operates grows more uncertain. The challenges facing ASEAN — including intensifying great power rivalry, regional tensions and domestic challenges — have made these calls more urgent. Yet ASEAN’s diversity constrains collective action, meaning its middle power role must be driven by a shared regional agenda.
Middle power status is often attributed to states with a set of unique, albeit contentious, characteristics. It is associated with medium-sized states with diplomatic capacity to influence issues of global importance. While definitions vary, emphasis tends to fall less on size than on capability and economic strength, alongside a willingness to champion common interests, mobilise global support and prioritise multilateralism
Any attempt to assign ASEAN middle power status must grapple with the organisation’s internal diversity. Differences in threat perception, strategic orientation and foreign policy priorities among ASEAN’s 11 member states dictate that ASEAN resorts to the principle of lowest common denominator in decision-making. This makes agenda-setting within ASEAN difficult and typically produces only vague commitments.
