Mar 3
Some regional leaders, including ASEAN, have found a voice in the Ukraine situation
Issues such as the South China Sea conflicts, regional power competition between China and the Western-led Quad alliance, Myanmar‘s military persecution of its Rohingya community, and this year’s coup d’etat have all put ASEAN unity to the test in recent years.
Too frequently, bureaucrats fail to present a cohesive front, instead issuing feeble, formulaic pronouncements in reaction to crisis after crisis, which are watered down to fit the self-serving diplomatic needs of each member of the 10-nation bloc.
That was clear in ASEAN’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in which the group expressed “deep concern” for a major problem in just two lines while avoiding any condemnation of Moscow by omitting any reference of Russia or what it has done to its neighbor.
That is to say, ordinary fare for nations that would rather say nothing and leave diplomatic job to a toothless trade bloc. Individual leaders, on the other hand, have altered their minds about Ukraine’s condition and are driving their nations in the right direction
