Is Interregional AU-ASEAN Diffusion in the South Barren?

In a field dominated by a discourse that paints the European Union (EU) as a change agent providing initial stimuli, it is refreshing that the transmission or diffusion of norms, values, processes and institutional design is now being reported (albeit inchoately) in the cooperation of regional entities in developing countries between themselves. The fact that South-South inter-regional diffusion has been low is trite. Pre-colonial and colonial patterns of international relations embedded an ethic of North to South flows of ideas, especially in the realm of knowledge transfer. It is easy to conclude that South-South interregional exchanges have so far been barren. In many cases, e.g. between Asia and Africa, this assessment is not far off. Taking account of inter-regional diffusion between the African Union (AU) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) within the broader context of Africa-Asia relations, the paper aspires to provoke further research interest in diffusion between regional entities of the Global South.