We could also commiserate about the perennial abundance of missed opportunities at the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, where regional leaders may again consciously or unconsciously undermine any chance of transforming ASEAN into a community that truly matters to its people.

Or, we could discuss the latest "great" idea from United States President Donald Trump, who, according to a Politico report, is willing to attend the ASEAN Summit only if there is a formal, spotlight-grabbing ceremony to formalize the peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.

Instead, let us do something different and talk about golf, or more broadly, the power of sports to foster a sense of common identity among Southeast Asian citizens.

The region is finally gaining global attention as a host for major sports events. Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan co-organized the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023, and just weeks ago, Thailand hosted the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship. One day, the FIFA World Cup will surely land here, perhaps played across the ASEAN bloc with games in Jakarta, Bangkok, Hanoi, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Phnom Penh.

Mega sports events are important, but only if managed correctly to create bottom-up opportunities for the region’s people. This is certainly not a given, considering the protests unfolding in Morocco, a 2030 World Cup cohost, where people are protesting abysmal healthcare spending while huge amounts of money are earmarked for stadium construction.

So, let us momentarily shift focus from these ambitious projects to a small corner of the world: Long Island, New York. At the end of September, the Bethpage Black Course hosted the latest edition of the Ryder Cup.