ARTICLES

25 Apr 2018

President U Win Myint’s Debut at the ASEAN Summit

Moe Thuzar

Myanmar President U Win Myint's debut at the ASEAN Summit will be watched closely. They will compare his performance to Daw Suu's - in particular, how he will address the Rohingya crisis.

16 Nov 2017

The ASEAN “Consensus” on Migrant Workers: Not Ideal but a Basis to Continue Working

Moe Thuzar

The fact that Asean has arrived at a consensus on the promotion and protection of migrant workers' rights is a feat in itself. The consensus does not have legal weight, but the expectation is that it would provide some moral suasion for the national implementation of regoinal commitments and the possibility of more mini-lateral initiaitves.

ASEAN Migrant Workers Myanmar

31 Jul 2017

A Futile Call: Making Bahasa Melayu ASEAN’s Official Language

Tang Siew Mun

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib's proposal to adopt the Malay language as ASEAN's “main and official language” is unrealistic and divisive. It could also rollback ASEAN's gains in positioning the regional organisation as a global entity. Instead, it should focus on more urgent and pressing matters of community-building.

ASEAN Bahasa Malaysia Malaysia

22 Feb 2017

ASEAN Foreign Ministers Set for a Tough Year Ahead

Hoang Thi Ha

The 50th annual ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat in Boracay was held amid uncertainty and anxiety over the US’ commitment to Asia. The grouping has a long list of issues to work on, the more important being negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

ASEAN RCEP Regional Cooperation

13 Dec 2016

Services to Drive Future Growth: Implications for CLMV Countries

Tham Siew Yean

The services sector is the drive for the future growth of the Asia Pacific region. Building capacity in the services sector and supporting regulatory reforms in the CLMV countries will enable these countries to access the benefits of services liberalization and help them to reach the full potential of the economy.

ASEAN Services Liberalisation

12 Dec 2016

Managing the Rohingya Issue through Quiet Diplomacy

Hoang Thi Ha

The Rohingya crisis is a transboundary problem that requires a regional response. ASEAN's position of non-interference towards Myanmar should be combined with an awareness of the need to act together - a validation of mutual respect and constructive engagement.

ASEAN Malaysia-Myanmar Relations Myanmar Rohingya

31 Aug 2016

Vietnam, ASEAN and the ‘Consensus Dilemma’

Le Hong Hiep

The ASEAN consensus principle constrains Vietnam's efforts to forge a common position among the ASEAN member states on the South China Sea disputes. However, Vietnam and some ASEAN partners can work together to come up with ad hoc mechanisms to address urgent security issues.

ASEAN Vietnam

22 Jul 2016

Issues and Points to Look out for at the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting and Related Meetings

Tang Siew Mun

The 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting will take place against the backdrop of The South China Sea dispute, with the leaders of ASEAN unable to give a unified position on the matter. With six foreign ministers taking part in the AMM for the first time, the collegiality and cohesion of ASEAN will be tested.

ASEAN ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting South China Sea

10 May 2016

Duterte, Jokowi and ASEAN

Malcolm Cook

The political ascensions of Jokowi and Duterte is a significant challenge to ASEAN unity and centrality. As political outsiders with minimal international experience, their foreign policies are nationalistic and unilateral - focusing more on supporting the administration's domestic infrastructure and nation-building agenda.

ASEAN ASEAN Unity Indonesia Philippine

25 Apr 2016

Cooperation Necessary to Eradicate the Haze

Lee Poh Onn

The forest fires in Indonesia is a multilateral and transboundary issue that requires the cooperation of ASEAN in developing and implementing measures to prevent environmental and economic costs to affected countries. Indonesia needs to mitigate and assuage fears of a repeat of the 2015 haze incident.

ASEAN Haze Indonesia