Can 10 countries with different cultures, traditions, languages, political systems and levels of economic development act in concert to expand their collective potential? That's the question with which the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has wrestled for decades.

Judging by their leaders' ambitious vision for cooperation, the answer may be yes.

What began as a straightforward push to reduce trade tariffs has evolved into a blueprint for a dynamic open market of 600 million consumers and a production base that can compete directly with the world's largest economies. Once in place, the ASEAN economic community (AEC) will transform Southeast Asia — and its role in the global economy.