Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand with distinctive styles of leadership and diplomatic finesse have succeeded in performing the most difficult somersault in international relations by uniting concerned parties from all sides over the Ukraine war to agree to disagree and then agree to agree. Bravo to the trio of Asean members for the outstanding success. A task that seemed impossible just a few weeks ago suddenly became a possibility. Indeed, if global leaders had some humility like the leaders in this part of the world, the outcome of these regional summits could serve as a stepping stone for peace and stability in the wider world. Southeast Asia could even shape the new international order in the making, as the hosts of three summits -- Asean, G20, and Apec -- have demonstrated.
In early May, these three summit chairs were quite worried because the war in Ukraine erupted without warning as the trio were looking to play host for their big diplomatic events and raise their international profile. They even issued a joint statement pledge for support from their powerful dialogue partners to allow them the opportunities to do their jobs without disrupting or boycotting the meetings due to divisions caused by the war.
