Asia & Pacific
Timor Leste's Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Vietnam Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Brunei Foreign Minister Abdul Mateen Bolkiah, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono, Laos Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Myanmar Permanent Secretary Hau Khan Sum and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn join hands during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila on July 22, 2026. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)
Nearly six decades after helping preserve relative peace in Southeast Asia, ASEAN is confronting one of the most challenging periods in its history, analysts say, as unresolved regional conflicts, intensifying great power rivalry and internal divisions test the bloc's unity, effectiveness and relevance.From the crisis in Myanmar and disputes in the South China Sea to growing competition among major powers, ASEAN's long-standing weaknesses in crisis management and collective decision-making have become increasingly apparent, raising questions about its ability to respond effectively.
