U.S. President Barack Obama says America's commitment to Asia's biggest economic bloc will endure long after he leaves the White House. One wonders if the Association of Southeast Asian Nations itself will endure in its current form.
Trouble is brewing in the ranks as ASEAN, whose 10 members comprise the closest thing this region has to a European Union, approaches its 50th year. That's not what you saw in Vientiane this past week as Obama, China's Li Keqiang, Shinzo Abe, India's Narendra Modi and South Korea's Park Geun-hye joined the festivities. The photo ops, meticulous protocol and hopeful communique in the Laotian capital suggest Asia is joining hands, slashing barriers and boldly forging forward.
Look below the surface, though, and you find two gaping cracks in that sunny narrative. One, domestic fissures among several members. Two, denial about China's role as spoiler.
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