The year ahead promises to be defining for the future trajectory of ASEAN. Expectations are high, and many want to see the bloc be more decisive on key issues of regional stability and prosperity. Marcos Jr., like his Malaysian predecessor, will face a decision whether to remain a passive observer on potentially thorny issues within member countries, or strike out and give ASEAN a more pronounced role in both regional and global affairs.

Eighty one years ago, on February 3, 1945, the Battle for the Liberation of Manila began. It was the only urban battle of the Pacific War and it raged for one month, ending on March 3, 1945… The battle remains controversial due to the excessive loss of civilian life as well as the destruction it caused. It made Manila the second most devastated Allied capital city after Warsaw in Poland during the Second World War.Some of the specific controversial issues surrounding the battle are: Was it a necessary battle? Could the city have been bypassed to save the residents from the horrors of urban fighting and massacres? Was the use of artillery by the Americans done in an indiscriminate manner?

The National Maritime Council bears particular responsibility...A multi-agency approach is necessary, but convergence without leadership is fragmentation. Public messaging by maritime and security agencies must reinforce a coherent diplomatic line, not generate parallel narratives that complicate it.