The year 2022 will mark as the 55th anniversary of ASEAN’s establishment. Born out of
a need to safeguard the region from the Cold War superpowers’ competing
ideological spheres of influence, ASEAN has transformed the Southeast Asian
region from a conflicted arena of political insecurity and economic disadvantage
to a new region of astonishing political stability and prosperity. The grouping
has been part of the wider ‘Asian Miracle’ of which external partners are eyeing
to play some major roles. At the same time, however, ASEAN faces various
internal setbacks, enduring challenges, and future uncertainties. Recently,
ASEAN’s relevance and unity (or the lack thereof) has been questioned
frequently, with critics citing both internal and external factors.

As the upcoming Chair of ASEAN in 2022 for the third time, Cambodia will
handle an important task during a highly critical time. In this respect, my
institute, the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), is
particularly pleased to be able to undertake a major book project on the theme:
“Cambodia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN: Challenging Perceptions, Concretizing
Consolidations”. This has given us the chance to take stock of the prospective
opportunities, be mindful of hindering challenges, and think about how to
navigate external partners within ASEAN and beyond. It is also with the hope
that the book would serve as a ‘guideline’ or even ‘handbook’ for relevant and
interested stakeholders, including policymakers, the diplomatic community,
academia, and the general public alike, to grasp 1) the essence of ASEAN
Centrality amidst geopolitical contestation, 2) the significance of cooperation
under the three pillars of ASEAN, and, among others, 3) the importance of public
diplomacy in the wider ASEAN context.