The 11 September 2001 tragedy (911), in this respect, represented another major
test ASEAN. The lessons learned for the financial crisis however did help the
organization to deal with the challenges posed by 911 fall-outs in the ASEAN
region in a better manner. ASEAN's prompt and coordinated response to the
post-911 non-conventional threat spill over in the ASEA region surprised many
analysts. The quick signing of the 2001 ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to
Counter Terrorism during the Th ASEAN Summit in November 2001 in Brunei
Darussalam by all members was a clear evidence of this (ASEAN Secretariat,
2003). The new millennium has also witnessed major changes in ASEAN's
domestic and external environment. The developments, however, also provided
the organization with the impetus to push the 'integrative' impulse among
member states to pursue the broader vision of the ASEAN Community. The
endorsement of the, ASEAN Vision 2020 project at the Bali II Summit in 2003
envisaged the creation of an ASEAN Community based of the three pillars of
ASEAN Social Cultural Community (ASCC), ASEAN Security Community
(ASC), and ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).