Introduction

This chapter examines the conditions and circumstances surrounding the formative days of the EAS that was launched in 2005, focusing on the structural forces and processes that generated middle power behaviour in Asia Pacific multilateralism. The time period for this case study stretches over a relatively long period of time, from the late 1990s to 2011. This is due not only to how the EAS and its membership evolved, but also to the fact that the platform’s establishment was linked to the East Asian community debate that occurred particularly robustly through the late 1990s and 2000s. Strictly speaking, however, the analysis narrows down to three specific points within this time period. The first is the late 1990s, when South Korean President Kim Dae-jung convened the EAVG following the Asian financial crisis, for regional policymakers to provide recommendations on strengthening regional cooperation and community building. It was in the EAVG report that the creation of an EAS was first mentioned. The second point in time is the inauguration of the EAS itself, in 2005. In the period leading up to the platform’s launch, a debate emerged over its membership composition. Some countries expressed the preference for the new forum to only include the APT members, while others sought to also bring in Australia, India and New Zealand. It was in large part due to Indonesia’s efforts, supported by others, that the EAS launched as a 16-member forum. The third and final point in time under study for this case is the late 2000s to early 2010s, when both Indonesia and Australia attempted to secure US participation in the changing regional multilateral architecture. This vision was ultimately realized in 2011, when Indonesia chaired the first 18-member EAS that included Russia and the US.

The establishment of the EAS was an important moment because it institutionalized the annual gathering of leaders representing the key countries that would shape the regional strategic environment going forward. While the summit initially started off as a cooperative platform for non-traditional security issues such as finance, energy, education, avian flu prevention and disaster management, Indonesia took the initiative to add issues such as the South China Sea disputes when it was chair in 2011.