Thailand
Asean: ASEAN is fading into irrelevance
Asean: ASEAN is fading into irrelevance
Saturday, 6 August 2016 – Ideally, ASEAN should mediate disputes between its members and China over the South China Sea. The grouping not only failed in this but is not even providing moral support to its member states. Its silence on the historic Hague ruling rejecting China?s claims over the sea at a recent meeting in Laos only proves this. As China pressures ASEAN members like Cambodia to veto decisions which could affect its national interests, the group will have to adopt alternative decision-making mechanisms in the politico-security realm or risk losing its voice in the Asian strategic table.
For almost four decades, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has stood as an exemplary model of regional integration in the developing world. It facilitated the transformation of a chaotic, rancorous and insecure post-colonial region into a stable, prosperous and increasingly self-confident one. Read More?