ASEAN falls short again

Tariffs, South China Sea and Myanmar show regional bloc still lacks teeth

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2025-04-10 ASEAN meeting

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks with the delegates of the 2025 ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on April 10, 2025.  © Reuters

Derek Grossman is a senior defense analyst at the think tank RAND Corp. in Santa Monica, California, and an adjunct professor in the practice of political science and international relations at the University of Southern California. He formerly served as an intelligence adviser at the Pentagon.

Southeast Asia's premier regional bloc -- the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- is in trouble once again. Malaysia, the current chair, wanted to forge unity and act collectively to respond to American tariffs. Instead, select ASEAN members -- including Cambodia and Vietnam -- have decided to pursue bilateral trade negotiations to protect their own interests.

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