DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/jis.25.1.2026.171-186

ASEAN security analysis on transnational money laundering crimes: Formal commitments and practical implementation limitations

*Qory Fizrianti Beru Sitepu  -  Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia
Mergera Akbar Sinergi Putra Agung  -  Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia
Open Access Copyright (c) 2026 Qory Fizrianti Beru Sitepu, Mergera Akbar Sinergi Putra Agung under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0.

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Abstract

Money laundering is a transnational crime that directly threatens economic stability and regional security in Southeast Asia. Although ASEAN has established formal commitments and cooperative forums to enhance cross-border law enforcement, money laundering activities in the region continue to rise. This article examines how ASEAN's shared norms and collective identity influence the effectiveness of its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) governance. Drawing on the Constructivist Security Community framework, this study analyses the interplay among the ASEAN Way, technocratic institutional culture, and voluntary compliance in shaping regional AML governance. Theoretically, this article demonstrates that the Constructivist Security Community framework offers explanatory depth that prevailing interest-based approaches cannot provide, as such frameworks treat compliance as a function of institutional design rather than normative internalisation. Empirically, this article is among the first to apply Acharya's tripartite framework to AML governance in ASEAN, revealing how the ASEAN Way produces symbolic compliance as a structurally embedded outcome rather than an incidental enforcement failure. The findings indicate that non-interference and consensus-building norms, while effective at preventing political conflict, simultaneously shape the trajectory of legal and monitoring mechanism development. ASEAN’s elite-driven identity formation limits public engagement and collective accountability, producing a weak sense of ownership among member states. Regional socialisation remains largely procedural, characterised by information sharing rather than structural reform. Consequently, ASEAN’s AML efforts reflect symbolic compliance, with formal commitments coexisting alongside limited domestic transformation. This article concludes that effective AML governance requires ASEAN to evolve from consensus-based coordination toward normative and institutional integration.

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Keywords: ASEAN; ASEAN Way; Constructivist Security Community; Money Laundering Norms; Regional Governance

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