BANGKOK—When Southeast Asia’s leaders link arms for their customary family photo at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Manila on November 16–18, the show of unity will belie the fact that, on the eve of the organization’s 60th anniversary, the group is more divided and less effective than ever. Amid a fracturing global order, ASEAN has a choice: turn its convening authority into concerted action or be reduced to an arena for great-power rivalry.
As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathers for its 49th Summit, several rifts have exposed the group’s institutional shortcomings. But amid a fracturing global order, ASEAN must choose: turn its convening authority into concerted action or be reduced to an arena for great-power rivalry.