21-7-2023 (JAKARTA) Former Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, has warned that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) needs strong leadership and vision to navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing world that make global diplomacy increasingly difficult. Speaking on The Straits Times’ Asian Insider podcast, Natalegawa highlighted the vulnerability of ASEAN, stating that it is at one of the most vulnerable points in its recent history. He added that diplomacy and statecraft are fraying, with those who advocate for dialogue and negotiations being accused of pursuing appeasement policies.
Natalegawa, who is currently a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said that ASEAN has succeeded in creating strategic trust between countries whose past relations had been marked by tensions and animosity. However, he warned that more needs to be done, and complacency is not an option. He also noted that the crisis in Myanmar is extremely serious, and while ASEAN has been successful in employing formal and informal diplomacy to obtain certain outcomes, the manner in which individual ASEAN member states have responded to the crisis reflects a sense of division and policy drift.
As the current chair of ASEAN, Indonesia must exercise leadership while maintaining ASEAN unity, said Natalegawa. He warned that if ASEAN becomes complacent, the risk of being sidelined is a real possibility. He also stressed the importance of recognising ASEAN as a collective entity, adding that “there is clearly a recognition that Southeast Asia is important… but that does not automatically translate into recognition of ASEAN’s importance.”
When asked about US-ASEAN relations, Natalegawa emphasised the importance of recognising ASEAN’s autonomy and diversity of foreign policy outlook. He stated that “it is very important to be able to recognise that it’s a feature of ASEAN that we value very much.”
