AUKUS CAN ENDANGER ASEAN CENTRALITY

Abstract

The article analyses how AUKUS (Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), sharing its nuclear-powered submarine with Australia, could change the balance in the Asia-Pacific region against the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The study considers that AUKUS' nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) operation will undermine ASEAN centrality and the peace-stability environment in the region. The research included information on the countries’ foreign policy discourses and made inferences by examining the information about the states' military expenditures. The article mentioned the security dilemma of the ASEAN member countries after the SSN initiative of AUKUS and also it studied what kind of impact this situation would have on the future of the organization. The study reveals that AUKUS will increase the arms race, and as a result, ASEAN centrality and stability-oriented structure will be disrupted in the China-United States (US) struggle. While ASEAN will continue as an economically strong organization by participating in the arms race, AUKUS, as a military initiative, has turned the balance in the region in favour of the US in the short term.