Obstacles to democratization in South East Asia are substantial but vary from state to state because of historical circumstances. In many instances, authoritarian power disenfranchises the majority of people and leads to widespread corruption and repression. At the regional level, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) vision of a democratic community faces serious problems. The inability of ASEAN to confront Myanmar's state of permanent aggression against its people is indicative of ASEAN weakness as a mechanism to advance human rights in Southeast Asia. ASEAN needs to institutionalize a community like the European Union. However, this is unlikely to be achieved unless member nation-states allow citizens to freely decide on their political and economic futures. In this book Paul comprehensively analyzes the meaning of democratization in South East Asia's nation states and how it relates to the development of ASEAN. In doing so, he questions the viability of ASEAN and its potential to move towards a common market and community.