Boosting Asean centrality

For years, successive US administrations have sought partisan support from South-East Asian countries, but a neutral Asean has refused to choose a side. — Bernama

FOR too long, the Asean region has been policy-rich but institutionally poor. There is much to do with many policies for getting things done, but little by way of regional frameworks for doing them cohesively and comprehensively.

Asean itself emerged after failed attempts at indigenously-led regionalism: the Association of South-East Asia (Asa) and Maphilindo (Malaya, the Philip-pines, and Indonesia). Since then Asean has succeeded admirably, but it has always needed to do more.