Johan Pahlepi presented his ongoing research titled “The ASEAN Way of Peace-Making” at the 6^th Young Legal Researchers Conference organised by Faculty of Law, Hasselt University; Doctoral School, Hasselt University; Flemish administration (Vlaamse overheid) in Hasselt, Belgium on 5 December 2025.

This research critically evaluates the ASEAN Way of peace-making and its impact on regional stability, assessing both strengths and limitations. It asks how the ASEAN Way facilitates peaceful management of interstate disputes among member states, while highlighting constraints in addressing internal conflicts. Using qualitative methods, it analyses primary ASEAN instruments—the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, the ASEAN Charter, and dispute settlement protocols—alongside decisions and statements by ASEAN bodies, International Court of Justice case law, and relevant scholarship. Emphasising consultation, negotiation, consensus, and informal diplomacy, the ASEAN Way emerges as a distinctive alternative to legalistic dispute resolution. Findings show that consensus-building and non-interference norms have mitigated tensions and prevented escalation in interstate conflicts, evident in territorial disputes such as Sipadan-Ligitan, Pedra Branca, and Preah Vihear, where states turned to adjudication and then resumed diplomatic dialogue. In the South China Sea, ASEAN’s efforts through the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties and work toward a Code of Conduct underscore its role in dialogue, preventive diplomacy, and sustaining cooperation amid external pressures. By contrast, the same principles limit responses to intrastate crises, notably Myanmar, where sovereignty and non-interference—and the Five-Point Consensus—proved insufficient. Recent Rules of Procedure for ASEAN Summit decision-making introduce non-binding flexibility, yet the ASEAN Way remains more effective for interstate peace than intrastate resolution.

ASEAN Way_Peace Making_1Dec25
YLRC 2025 Conference Booklet