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Cold War 2.0: ASEAN's role

Some would ask, what benefits would ASEAN gain by playing in a Cold War? Nothing. But ASEAN would benefit greatly in a world without a Cold War.

Gilang Kembara (The Jakarta Post)

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Mon, April 16, 2018 Published on Apr. 16, 2018 Published on 2018-04-16T09:07:47+07:00

In this file photo taken on November 10, 2017 People walk past the French embassy in Moscow. Russia has expelled four French diplomats in retaliation for France's decision to order the same number of Russian envoys to quit its territory over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain, the foreign ministry said on March 30, 2018. (AFP/Kirill Kudryavtsev)

T

ensions between Russia and the western nations remain high as the Russian foreign minister mentioned recently how ties between Moscow and the West are worse than during the Cold War.

The poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former MI6 double agent, and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, disrupted an already volatile relationship between Russia and the West. The fissure further deepened with the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the United States and its European allies.

Moreover, the trade war involving the US, China and many other countries has cast doubt over the prevailing free trade mentality and the liberal world order.

After years of diplomatic conflict between these power blocs, many are questioning whether we are looking at a second Cold War in the making. However there are several underlying differences between the first Cold War and a possible second one.