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"ASEAN has come through a very difficult time, resulting firstly, although not entirely, from the consequences of the 1997 crisis. Currently, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has to manage the prolongation of three simultaneous crises: the ASEAN crisis itself, which was the product of dysfunction and intrinsic weaknesses in the regional organization; the national sovereignty crisis of the countries in the region, and, finally, the globalization crisis. In these three areas, ASEAN has proved to be powerless and has thus been marginalized. Nevertheless, in this context of apparent paralysis, the crisis has revealed another ASEAN reality, namely that of social construction. The debate has now evolved: will the member states take the risky decision to intensify sovereign ambitions or opt for a new regional policy that will offer stability at the cost of a potential loss of sovereignty?"