Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States (AUKUS) and ASEAN’s Regional Security Mechanisms

Manda Talita Taruli Hasibuan

doi:10.31258/5hyfh096

Authors

Manda Talita Taruli Hasibuan Universitas Riau Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31258/5hyfh096

Keywords:

AUKUS , ASEAN , Non Proliferation , Security , Minilateralism

Abstract

This study examines the dynamics of the Australia-United Kingdom-United States Security Partnership (AUKUS) and its implications on ASEAN’s security architecture. The primary focus lies on how nuclear technology transfers under AUKUS’s 1^st Pilar and the development of advanced capabilities under its 2^nd Pilar pose challenges to the global non-proliferation regime as well as to ASEAN’s principle of centrality. Employing a qualitative approach and library research enriched by in-depth interviews, this research argues that AUKUS represents a concrete manifestation of the United States’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) vision, which doesn’t fully align with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

Findings suggest that while FOIP and AOIP both emphasize openness, inclusivity, and regional stability, their strategic orientation diverge significantly. FOIP places stronger emphasis on military posturing and balancing China’s influence, whereas AOIP seeks to maintain regional neutrality and avoid bloc confrontation. These differences render AUKUS highly contested, particularly concerning issues of transparency, safeguards, and the risks of nuclear proliferation. For ASEAN, AUKUS has the potential to undermine the regional security mechanisms that it has established through ASEAN led-mechanism while also creating a dilemma between maintaining its centrality or adapting to a new security architecture that is increasingly exclusive and alliance-oriented.

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