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Southeast Asia needs a courageous, forward-thinking ASEAN: Marty
The next government should continue – and even enhance – its internationalist agendas not only in ASEAN but also globally, to be present, counted and visible within the region and beyond.
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Thailand's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun Charoensuwan (left), Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (second left), Indonesia's President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (third left), Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone (third right), Brunei’s Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah (second right) and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet leave the stage on Sept. 5, 2023, after a group photo before the start of the retreat session at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta. (AFP/Achmad Ibrahim)
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s Southeast Asia continues to face mounting internal and external geopolitical challenges, pressure for ASEAN to assert its centrality continues to mount, on top of persistent criticism of the bloc’s perceived lack of unity and effectiveness. Former foreign minister Marty Natalegawa, who cofounded the Amity Circle, a diplomacy focus group consisting of former policymakers from around the globe, sat with The Jakarta Post’s Yvette Tanamal to share the group’s perspective on how ASEAN can move forward. The following are excerpts from the interview.
Question: What can you say about the waning confidence in diplomatic processes, and ASEAN’s role in remedying it?
Answer: In general, there are two types of headwinds against diplomacy. One is against traditional diplomacy in the interstate context, where countries see diplomacy as an instrument to win over the other side, as if it is a zero-sum game. In fact, diplomacy is about finding convergences and commonalities. Increasingly countries are unable to see diplomacy as it is, that during crises, they halt communications and negotiations as signs of protest.
The second type is headwinds that are internal. More countries have adopted a foreign policy that is extremely domesticated, where their engagements with foreign countries are focused on how they are domestically perceived. This is where leadership is important, because leaders often have to make difficult decisions that may not be popular, but are for the interests of the wider good of the region.
There are so many ASEAN modalities that are already in existence, like the ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3 and the East Asia Summit. These existing modalities can and should be empowered. We need to find ways to reassert ASEAN and its relevance. While we have a track record for ASEAN management of these issues, we need to be able to renew our efforts and strengthen it.
