It sounds somewhat paradoxical to think that Asean is more internally problematic than ever, and yet the 11-member Southeast Asian bloc also needs to rely on itself like never before. But such is the tough reality in Thailand's regional neighbourhood. Under pressure from both the United States and China, Asean will also have to rely on external partners, particularly Japan, to navigate and overcome the adverse challenges on the horizon.
Asean today is similar to its past. The region is divided and weakened by superpower competition and conflict. In the past, the Soviet Union and the United States, during the Cold War, divided Southeast Asia between Asean and Indochina. Today, it is the United States and China in a new kind of Cold War that is pressuring Asean member states to choose sides. When the great powers are not at relative peace and in relative balance, they tend to pick the region apart for their own self-interests.
