The recent Myanmar crisis is a litmus test for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- and the regional organization is not faring well thus far. Progress on its five-point consensus to address the Myanmar crisis has been painfully slow, leading to calls for the establishment of alternative regional arrangements. One of which is the South East Asian Community (SEAC), which presents itself as an “alternative multilateral organization to replace the inter-governmental ASEAN.”

Will SEAC work? How different is it from civil society initiatives that call for alternative regionalism? Can it really replace ASEAN, if so, in what way? How can non-elected leaders carryout the mandates of an institution like ASEAN? What are the challenges in making SEAC’s vision a reality? These are just some of the questions that Sam Rainsy, SEAC founde ...