ASEAN was a conception that arose after the decolonization period, when ASEAN countries were gradually securing independence from their colonial mas-ters. Except for Thailand, in their recent history, all countries in this region were colonies of one or several Western powers. Both the spice trade and national zeal for conquest drove European powers—namely, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and France—and the U.S. to colonize a large part of Southeast Asia. With colonialism, Western systems of administration, governance, and laws were introduced. Because several colonial powers were competing for influence, the systems that were eventually adopted by the Southeast Asian countries also differed during the post-colonial period. For example, the legal systems in Malay-sia and Indonesia have different origins. Malaysia, being a former British colony,uses a legislative system originating from Anglo-Saxon law, and inclining toward the Common Law. Indonesia adopted a legal system similar to the Continental Law system of the Netherlands, its former colonial master. Given the historical background, it would be a gargantuan task to harmonize the legal systems of the various countries in the region. Any move in this direction could easily stir up sovereignty issues among ASEAN members.