As mentioned in the previous chapter, the onset of the “Saffron Revolution” occurred just two months before ASEAN's new charter was to be presented to the region and the world. The Myanmar Government's violent crackdown on monks and protesters seriously impeded what had been intended as a celebration of ASEAN's evolution, including the downing of a new era of intramural relations and institutionalization for the organization. Then, in May 2008, Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar and the SPDC's poor response to the tragedy once again fell under the spotlight of international attention. Despite the continuation of both structural and ideational weaknesses within ASEAN that have previously been highlighted, these developments temporarily regalvanized ASEAN cohesion, contributing to the development of a new formula for functional cooperation in response to the Myanmar crisis. Rather than continue to push the boundaries of what the more authoritarian members of ASEAN were prepared to agree on, ASEAN focused on mediating between Myanmar and the international community in the delivery of aid, a role that simultaneously satisfied international expectations whilst delivering tangible benefits to the people affected by the cyclone. Meanwhile, the SPDC announced that it had completed drafting a new constitution to implement “disciplined democracy” and that it would be holding a referendum to determine whether it should be adopted in May 2008 — just days after Cyclone Nargis had struck with devastating effect. The new constitution has been largely condemned by the media, regional scholars, and foreign governments. Moreover, since the completion of ASEAN's humanitarian role in August 2008, the country has largely fallen from regional and international attention.

Given these developments, this analysis questions the extent to which ASEAN's institutions can be reformed before its Myanmar crisis is resolved. As previous chapters have demonstrated, the Myanmar crisis has not only challenged the comprehensive security of ASEAN, but has also significantly impeded any regionwide sense of collective identity. Therefore, the first section of the chapter reviews ASEAN's efforts to implement greater political and security cooperation and integration in the absence of a significant degree of “community”. The second section reviews the positive developments surrounding ASEAN's response to Cyclone Nargis.