TTLA: The role of ASEAN in East Asian security and political cooperation from 1991 to 2015

INFORMATION ABOUT THE DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name of the doctoral candidate:Le Lena                  

2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: November 23, 1984

4. Place of birth: Hanoi City

5. Decision No. 3216/2014/QD-XHNV-SDH dated December 31, 2014, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, recognizing the doctoral student.

6. Changes during the training process: changes in supervisor and doctoral dissertation title (Document on changes in supervisor and doctoral dissertation title No. 2227/QD-XHNV, dated July 8, 2016)

7. Thesis title:The role of ASEAN in East Asian political and security cooperation from 1991 to 2015.

8. Major: International Relations Code: 62.31.02.06

9. Instructor:Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Khac Nam

10. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

- This dissertation synthesizes conceptions of the roles of actors in international relations from various international relations theories and approaches.

- This dissertation contributes to introducing a new approach to assessing the role of actors in international relations, namely the Social Network Analysis (SNA) method.

- This thesis synthesizes and evaluates the transformation of ASEAN's role in East Asian security and political cooperation throughout the period from 1991 to 2015.

- The thesis offers new recommendations for ASEAN in maintaining its role in the coming years.

11. Practical applications:

This dissertation serves as a reference for teaching and research on the theoretical role of actors in international relations in general, the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in East Asian security and political cooperation in particular, and the application of Social Network Analysis theory in international relations research.

This work is also valuable in providing new recommendations for ASEAN and Vietnam on maintaining the Association's role in the context of a changing East Asia.

12. Future research directions:

- East Asian Studies

- Methods of studying international relations

13. Published works related to the dissertation:

- Le Lena (2016), "Discussing the central role of ASEAN: An unclear concept",Journal of Southeast Asian Studies10 (1999), pp. 16-26.

- Le Lena (2016), “Applying the Social Network Analysis Approach in Studying the Central Role of ASEAN in East Asian Regional Security and Political Cooperation After the Cold War”,Journal of World Economic and Political Issues12 (248), pp. 40-50.

- Le Lena (2016), “ASEAN's Centrality in the rising of ASEAN's Political Security Community”,Southeast Asian Studies,pp.70-82.

INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name: Lena Le 2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: November 23, 1984 4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Admission decision number: 3216/2014/QD-XHNV-SDH; dated December 30^th, 2014 by the Rector of National University of Hanoi, Vietnam

6. Changes in academic process: Decision on modifying the doctoral dissertation title and adjustment of instructors, No. 2227/QD-XHNV; dated July 8^th, 2016 by the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

7. Official thesis title: The role of ASEAN in political and security cooperation in East Asia from 1995 to 2015.

8. Major: International Relations Code: 62 31 02 06

9. Supervisors: Assoc. Prof., Dr. Hoang Khac Nam

10. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

- The thesis synthesizes concepts and assumptions about the role of international actors from the approaches of different prevalent international relation theories.

- The thesis adopts Social Network Analysis and the concept of institutional legitimacy as a new approach to understand the role of international actors, in particular the role of ASEAN.

- By using Social Network Analysis and institutional legitimacy, the thesis analyzes the transformation of ASEAN's role in political and security cooperation in East Asia between 1991 and 2015 and determines fundamental factors that influence the role of the Association.

- The findings of the thesis present recommendations to ASEAN and Vietnam to maintain the role of the Association in the future.

11. Practical applicability, if any:

- The results of the thesis will be a document for policy-making, teaching and research into the role of actors in international relations in general, the role of ASEAN in East Asian political and security cooperation in particular, and the application of Social Network Analysis in International Relations.

- The value of the research results lies at its recommendations to ASEAN and Vietnam on how to maintain ASEAN's role in the fast-changing East Asia.

12. Further research directions, if any:

East Asia Studies

Research methods in International Relations

13. Thesis-related publications:

- Le Lena (2016), “On ASEAN's centrality: An undefined notion”,Southeast Asian Studies10 (1999), pp.16-26.

- Le Lena (2016), “Making sense of ASEAN's centrality in political and security cooperation in East Asia after the end of the Cold War: A Social Network”,Review of World Economic and Political Issues12 (248), pp.40-50.

- Le Lena (2016), “ASEAN's Centrality in the rising of ASEAN's Political Security Community”,Southeast Asian Studies,pp.70-82.