Alcee Hastings: “Some 32 years ago, a handful of underdeveloped and not very influential Southeast Asian countries binded together to…”

“Some 32 years ago, a handful of underdeveloped and not very influential Southeast Asian countries binded together to create the Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN. I dare say that at the time of ASEAN's founding in 1967, not even the most optimistic would have guessed how far the ASEAN nations would have traveled down the road of economic development. It is true that in a number of instances political reform has lagged behind economic development, but I remain confident, as do my colleagues, that political pluralism and full-fledged democracy will one day prevail throughout the region. Today, ASEAN has established itself as one of the premier regional groupings in the world. It has also shown itself to be a good friend of the United States.”