How much does Myanmar's coup threaten ASEAN's credibility?

With Images Without Images Myanmar's military coup and the ensuing mass civil unrest have been presented as a litmus test of ASEAN centrality. Some observers have even portrayed the coup as 'the most serious threat to the importance of ASEAN in regional diplomacy since the Cold War'. Such an argument is curious on numerous grounds. Although individual states within ASEAN might care (or profess to care) about democracy, the organisation as a whole has always prioritised non-interference and respect for sovereignty. ASEAN has had little if anything to say in recent years about military coups in Thailand or substantial democratic…