ASEANEWS HEADLINE-ASEAN 59TH ANNIVERSARY | JAKARTA: ASEAN faces defining moment amid great power rivalry, internal rifts
.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)
.
.
WATCH VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrV1TmWuzUU
ASEAN Summit 2026: Middle East Crisis, China Tensions & Global Powers Face Off in Manila
As global tensions continue to rise, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila has become one of the most important diplomatic gatherings of the year. While Southeast Asian issues remain on the agenda, the summit is also focusing on the escalating conflict in the Middle East, growing tensions between the United States and Iran, threats to oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, and concerns over the South China Sea. The joint statement issued by ASEAN expressed deep concern over increasing hostilities and stressed the importance of diplomacy and peaceful dialogue. The meeting also discussed the ongoing Myanmar civil war and fresh allegations by the Philippines against China’s Coast Guard in disputed waters. With major global powers including the United States, China, India, Japan, Australia, Russia, and the European Union participating, the world is watching closely to see whether diplomacy can prevent a larger geopolitical crisis. Watch the full report to understand why this ASEAN Summit matters far beyond Southeast Asia.
.
.
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.
.
..
FREE ASEAN
FREE MYANMAR/CAMBODIA/THAILAND /LAOS
FREE Aung San Suu Kyi
..
N 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.
…
Yvette Tanamal
The Jakarta Post) PREMIUM
Jakarta
Sat, August 8, 2026
.
.
.
Ads by:
.
Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2026/08/07/asean-at-59-faces-defining-moment?utm_source=(direct)&utm_medium=home_headlines.
