ASEAN's progress, to be sure, was not without challenges. Aside from the
turbulent regional political-security environment of the early decades, ASEAN's
organizational competence was also severely tested by 'non-traditional' security
issues, such as the Asian financial crisis (1997-1998), haze crisis (1997),
terrorism, and pandemic in more recent times. ASEAN's less impressive handling
of the Asian financial crisis, in particular, exposed the organization's lack of
unity, organizational preparedness and competency in dealing with such nontraditional
threat form.