Asean to-do list in 2017

IT is not business as usual. As Asean’s array of official and private sector meetings roll out for the year, urgent thought must be given to dramatically new challenges beyond the stubborn issues that continue to arrest the region’s meaningful integration.

The advent of Donald Trump as President of the United States has overturned many regional assumptions and threatens to cause economic as well as political turmoil. These developments should make Asean think crisis management – even if, in the end, the worst does not happen.