[ARTICLE INTRODUCTION] The ASEAN Political-Security Community Post-2015 and Vietnam's Participation 

Since the end of the Cold War, a new order has been in the process of shaping up in the Asia-Pacific region. The establishment and operation of the ASEAN Community post-2015 promises to create a new feature in the incomplete regional structure. Whether this new feature will lead to fundamental changes in the general situation, making the outlook brighter or darker, depends mainly on the future development of the ASEAN Community. Given the current important role of ASEAN in regional cooperation and integration in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific, the prospects of the ASEAN Community will have significant impacts not only on member states but also on major powers and the dynamics of international relations in the region. Based on an assessment of the progress in building the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) from now until 2015, this article will analyze the main components that the ASEAN post-2015 vision needs to consider and the decisive factors influencing the future of the ASEAN Community. From this analysis, it suggests the prospects of the APSC post-2015 and Vietnam’s participation in that Community.

The article was published in the Journal of International Studies, Issue No. 3 (98) - 9/2014.

Authored by Dr. Dang Cam Tu, Deputy Director of the Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies - Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.