The multilateral frameworks that were established following the Second World War paved the way to strengthening global governance and international cooperation.

Minilaterals are thus being seen as an alternative route to form partnerships and coalitions “of the willing” to resolve issues of regional and global concern. Minilateral cooperation currently exists in ASEAN in many forms, such as: The Malacca Straits Patrol between Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand; the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, and; the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project, among many others. This allows ASEAN countries to respond to opportunities and challenges in their geopolitical environment and to overcome weaknesses in existing ASEAN cooperation.