Contemporary Southeast Asia Vol. 29, No. 3 (2007), pp. 447–64 DOI: 10.1355/cs29-3d © 2007 ISEAS ISSN 0219-797X print / ISSN 1793-284X electronic 447 United States-ASEAN Relations on ASEAN’s Fortieth Anniversay: A Glass Half Full SATU P. LIMAYE As ASEAN marks its 40 th anniversary, US-ASEAN relations, for all their complexities and dissonances, also show signs of success and potential future growth. Viewed from the perspective of where US- ASEAN relations were four decades ago, signs of structural change and the prospect of a more focused- and action-oriented ASEAN organization, there remains every possibility of further filling a glass of interactions that is now only half full. The US is considering several ways in which to enhance its relations with ASEAN including through signing the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, appointing an ambassador to ASEAN and participating in a range of regional and bilateral activities in the economic, political and military realms. It is quite likely that the US will take one or more of these measures to demonstrate its commitment to ASEAN. However, the ultimate guarantor of strengthened US-ASEAN relations will be the ability of member countries to demonstrate that they as individual countries and as ASEAN can be and wish to be partners of the US in this new century. Keywords: ASEAN, United States, US Congress, ASEAN Ambassador, counter- terrorism. During this 40th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 30th anniversary of the United States-ASEAN Dialogue, unfortunate scheduling decisions have overshadowed SATU P. LIMAYE is Director, East-West Center in Washington, United States. Reproduced from Contemporary Southeast Asia: A Journal of International and Strategic Affairs Vol. 29, No. 3 (December 2007) (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2007). This version was obtained electronically direct from the publisher on condition that copyright is not infringed. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Individual articles are available at < http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg >