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ASEAN@60: Special Edition

What ASEAN Mediation Can and Cannot Do

Melinda Martinus|Fannesa Adisty Laksmita

Melinda Martinus and Fannesa Adisty Laksmita argue that ASEAN's strength lies in convening and facilitating dialogue but that without follow-through, different parties' political will and sufficient leverage, its mediation efforts will struggle to deliver results.

ASEAN@60 Special Edition

ASEAN’s Economic Future in an Age of Geoeconomic Competition

Mari Elka Pangestu

Over the past two decades, since the ASEAN Economic Community was envisioned, ASEAN has benefited from an increasingly open global economy. Its strategy of remaining open to all major economies, attracting investment, integrating into global supply chains and avoiding choosing sides has served the region well, but this model is now under pressure. The intensifying US-China strategic rivalry and tariff wars, export controls and competition over semiconductors and critical minerals are reshaping the global economic landscape.

The Trap That is Thailand’s Legacy of Diplomatic Success

Pongkwan Sawasdipakdi

Bamboo diplomacy has long been the default language of Thai foreign policy. The Long Read argues that, under conditions of intensifying geopolitical competition, the very script that is remembered as Thailand’s survival method can make it harder for the country to define and pursue a distinctive strategic role.