This paper proposes the I-4 Initiative, a set of broad-based recommendations designed to help the US tackle ASEAN's key obstacles to economic growth, and thereby differentiating itself from other competing multilateral economic frameworks, striving to garner ASEAN's involvement. As part of the current situational analysis, this paper also touches on ASEAN's growing economic potential as well as on the viability of the Trans-Pacific Agreement (TPP) and the US-ASEAN Extended Economic Engagement (E3). A posture on how the US can balance both arrangements is also recommended.

Auteur

Dr. Tan Kwan Hong serves as professor for finance, economics, business, leadership and human resource management. Beyond his involvement as a professor, lecturer and an academic writer, he is also an award-winning corporate trainer and lecturer and has given talks to more than 120,000 people on topics such as leadership, entrepreneurship, management skills, communication skills, persuasion, career management skills and personal peak performance. Apart from accomplishing his Doctor of Philosophy, Dr. Tan Kwan Hong has 3 Masters degrees, in particular, the Master of Science (Finance) (With Distinction) from Grenoble Ecole de Management, the Master of Science (Human Resource) (With Distinction) from Edinburgh Napier University, and the Master of Education (With High Distinction) from Monash University. He has also obtained 3 graduate diplomas to supplement his knowledge, in particular, the Specialist Diploma in Business Analytics (With Merit) from Temasek Polytechnic, the Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (With High Distinction) and the Graduate Diploma in Training and Development (With High Distinction), both from Aventis School of Management in Singapore. He has scored in the top grade category for all Masters and Graduate Diploma programs, and was the overall top student for several of these programs. Dr. Tan Kwan Hong first graduated from the Singapore Management University with the Bachelor of Science (Economics) (With Distinction). As an avid learner, Dr. Tan Kwan Hong has also obtained more than 150 different certifications in the areas of business analytics, finance, human resource, project management and sports science. He is a Certified Business Analytics Specialist (CBAS) and a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). He is also a Distinguished Toastmasters (DTM), the highest accolade achievable from Toastmasters International, only awarded to less than 1% of all members worldwide. As a national science champion in his youth, Dr. Tan Kwan Hong was also the recipient of several scholarships, academic and university awards, national awards, public speaking awards, and also has a national-level strategy case competition championship title. He has also represented his country in regional conferences on academic and policy issues. Dr. Tan Kwan Hong's corporate experience spans strategy consulting, financial research, and education management. He can be contacted at www.tankwanhong.com and www.linkedin.com/in/tankwanhong.