VERA Files
Would ASEAN-10 survive at all with such a huge development gap, not to mention vast differences in political cultures among its member states in development and vast differences in political cultures?
A report published on Nov. 15 by website ddsonline.live claiming that President Rodrigo Duterte was named the new country coordinator of the ASEAN because of the group’s confidence in him is misleading.
SINGAPORE – A Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea could be concluded in as early as three years, just about the same time that President Duterte completes his six-year term as president of the Philippines.
How can societies – well beyond governments – handle the manipulation of information while maintaining the space for professional media to do their work?
Even the Philippines is seeing challenges to democratic norms that supposedly have deeper roots there after its 1986 ‘People Power’ revolution.
After the deluge of headlines during ASEAN’s 50th birthday in 2017 and before that, the start of the ASEAN Community in 2016, this year may signal a return to what many see as ASEAN’s return to its uneventful – or boring – ways.
China’s influence on both regional blocs is so huge.
Increasing local government engagement is one of the goals of the ASEAN integration, specifically in the BIMP-EAGA. But local governments outside of the key areas are not directly engaged.
“There are now very strong moves for members of ASEAN to get out of so called ASEAN way” – FVR
The meeting is a simulation. Yet, it has already taught the participants one important lesson: the idea of consensus, and how difficult it can be to reach, in the trademark decision-making process of ASEAN.