Abstract
Conventional wisdom has told us that Southeast Asia is a case for realism. The imperatives of self‐help and the logic of balance of power are usually cited as major factors shaping regional relations. The article challenges this orthodoxy by introducing constructivism as an alternative theoretical framework. The main argument is that at least one part of Southeast Asia, the founding members of ASEAN, have already moved away from pure balance‐of‐power politics in their international behaviour. These states have successfully established a regional code of conduct which centres around norms such as non‐use of force, non‐interference and informality in conflict management. The crucial point is that adherence to these norms over time has led to the emergence of a collective identity among the members of the Association: the code of conduct has become an integral part of the ASEAN states’ foreign policy and today must be seen as one basis of their ‘state interests’. As a result, these countries have dropped many realist strategies from their foreign policy agendas, such as fighting wars against each other or building alliances against outsiders.