Derek Grossman,
A professor of political science and international relations at the University of Southern California.Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the ASEAN summit in MalaysiaMalaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi walk past national flags during the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 26. CHALINEE THIRASUPA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is often dismissed as little more than a talk shop—long on meetings and statements but short on concrete action. As I have previously argued in Foreign Policy, the bloc has generally suffered from policy paralysis since its inception in 1967, mainly because of disunity among members over collective security actions to address challenges across Southeast Asia. This assessment, however, needs an update: In recent years, the 11-member group has increasingly striven to match its words with deeds—probably due to rising threat perceptions, stronger leadership, and greater pressure from U.S.-China competition that is pushing ASEAN to act to avoid irrelevance.
The latest example involves Cambodia and Thailand, two ASEAN members that have been locked in border disputes for many decades. During U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Malaysia last month for the annual ASEAN summit, he also presided over a peace signing ceremony that officially ended hostilities between Phnom Penh and Bangkok over the disputed Preah Vihear temple and surrounding areas. But a fresh round of violence has put these two countries back on edge. On Nov. 10, four Thai soldiers were wounded by a land mine, followed by an exchange of gunfire that led to the death of one Cambodian villager. Bangkok blames Phenom Penh for recently planting the explosive device, while the Cambodian government claims it was lef
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