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View all search resultsASEAN at 59 faces defining moment
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Timor Leste's Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Vietnam Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Brunei Foreign Minister Abdul Mateen Bolkiah, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono, Laos Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Myanmar Permanent Secretary Hau Khan Sum and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn join hands during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila on July 22, 2026. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)
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early six decades after helping preserve relative peace in Southeast Asia, ASEAN is confronting one of the most challenging periods in its history, analysts say, as unresolved regional conflicts, intensifying great power rivalry and internal divisions test the bloc's unity, effectiveness and relevance.
From the crisis in Myanmar and disputes in the South China Sea to growing competition among major powers, ASEAN's long-standing weaknesses in crisis management and collective decision-making have become increasingly apparent, raising questions about its ability to respond effectively.
“ASEAN is not in a good place at the moment,” Dafri Agussalim, executive director of the ASEAN Studies Center at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
“External pressures have only grown stronger in recent years, especially in turning ASEAN into a theater for major power competition. At the same time, we witness the resurgence of a realist approach to international relations,” he continued.
ASEAN on Saturday marked the 59th anniversary of its founding by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, commemorating nearly six decades of efforts to promote peace, stability and cooperation among Southeast Asian nations.
The anniversary was observed at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, where diplomats and officials from member states attended a flag-raising ceremony and a series of commemorative events.
Read also: Myanmar ex-junta chief on first Thailand trip as civilian leader
