Examines ASEAN's 50-year history and present state~Examines ASEAN's 50-year history and present state.~Asserts that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a miracle in an era of growing pessimism and insecurities around economic growth, the peaceful coexistence of western and Islamic societies~Celebrates the progress ASEAN's 625 million inhabitants of different ethnicities, faith and political inclinations in times of pessimissm.