ts critics have portrayed Asean as being big on words and short on action, driven by the desire for consensus among its members. Its staunch support for the principle of non-interference has, paradoxically, reinforced both regional stability and authoritarian governance.
At the Bali summit in 2003, members backed the general principle of promoting democracy. But in some countries - notably Burma, Laos and Vietnam - this remains a distant ideal.
In particular, the stand-off between the military regime and the opposition in Burma has been a thorny issue. Asean has resisted calls to take more direct action against the regime.
Instead, it pursues a policy of constructive engagement and non-confrontation with Burma. Rangoon agreed to forego its 2006 chairmanship of Asean; some members had feared that Burma could damage the group's standing by taking the chair.
Asean welcomed the 2010 Burmese elections as a step towards democracy, despite their clearly fraudulent nature, and cites the subsequent release of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as proof of the worth of engagement with Burma.
International terrorism is high on the Asean agenda, especially since the Bali nightclub attacks in 2002. Asean countries have faced insurgencies in southern Thailand and on the Indonesian island of Aceh, but the organisation has played little role in their mediation or resolution.
Asean aspires to stem weapons proliferation. It has urged Asian nuclear powers, and those aspiring to become nuclear powers, to engage in dialogue within the Asean Regional Forum. Asean adopted a security plan at its 2004 summit; tensions on the Korean peninsula were high on the agenda.