Between eclecticism and uniqueness: A few remarks on constitutional systems of ASEAN countries from the perspective of a Polish comparative constitutionalist

Abstrakt

Lately two books were issued. The future is Asian by Parag Khanna who stated that: “in the 19th century, the world was Europeanized. In the 20th century, it was Americanized. Now, in the 21st century, the world is being Asianized.” The second one is The end of the Asian Century by Michael R. Auslin,who argues that far from being a cohesive powerhouse, Asia is a fractured region threatened by stagnation and instability. He provides a comprehensive account of the economic, military, political, and demographic risks that bedevil half of our world, arguing that Asia, working with the United States, has a unique opportunity to avert catastrophe – but only if it acts boldly.
Although, we can point out that the authors of these publications present different perspectives, it is hard not to notice that their theses completely contradict each other. For the comparatist it would be more than interesting to see which of the above-cited authors was right. At the same time, the above-mentioned examples of the uniqueness of constitutional regulations and instruments introduced in the ASEAN countries justify the thesis about the need for further research in this region, that application effects cannot be excluded a priori.