EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As a Community in 2015 the role of youth in ASEAN comes to the fore. Making up almost half of the active population it is important to instill in them an awareness of the challenges of building a sustainable Community in the new ASEAN very early on. A prerequisite in the process is the understanding of democratic values and institutions that necessarily must accompany all efforts at Community Building. This inquiry begins with discussing several past experiences. These are considered and evaluated for their relevance to future developments. At the same time Malaysia’s new role in this emerging scenario is considered against the background of the changing geostrategic landscape in the region and beyond. The preferred choice is for institutional democracy and active regionalism, but some countries may adopt their own norms of democracy. The paper ends with a presentation of several action possibilities on aspects of youth involvement