July 21, 2023
WASHINGTON – Asean needs strong leadership and vision amid challenges in a rapidly changing world that make the conduct of global diplomacy increasingly difficult, former Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa warned on The Straits Times’ Asian Insider podcast.
Diplomacy and statecraft are fraying, and “those who speak on behalf of dialogue and negotiations and engagement… tend to be accused of pursuing an appeasement policy or justifying certain unacceptable actions”, Dr Natalegawa, 60, said.
“At the moment, I think Asean is at one of the most vulnerable points in its recent history,” he added.
The veteran top diplomat – who among other roles is currently a distinguished fellow with global non-profit Asia Society Policy Institute – said Asean has succeeded in creating strategic trust between countries whose past relations had been marked by tensions and animosity.
It has also delivered in terms of promoting the welfare of its population, he said.
“But… these gains need to be constantly earned, and we can’t be complacent,” Dr Natalegawa warned.
“More of the same may not be good enough.”
The crisis in Myanmar – plunged into civil war since an army coup in February 2021 – is extremely serious, the former diplomat said.
But while South-east Asia has been skilled in employing formal and informal diplomacy, or open and quiet diplomacy, to obtain certain outcomes, the manner in which individual Asean member states have responded to the crisis reflected a sense of division and policy drift, he contended.
“There has to be a parallel track, where the issue of Myanmar can be discussed openly and with all the parties concerned. At the moment, there really isn’t such a process,” Dr Natalegawa said.
As current chair of Asean, Indonesia must exercise leadership and at the same time maintain Asean unity, Dr Natalegawa said.
“Increasingly, I think, many countries outside of South-east Asia approach the region and differentiate between Asean as a collective entity and endeavour, and South-east Asia as a whole,” he said.
“There is clearly a recognition that South-east Asia is important… but that does not automatically translate into recognition of Asean’s importance.”
If Asean is complacent, “the risk of being sidelined is a very real one”, he warned.
Asked about US-Asean relations, Dr Natalegawa said: “It’s extremely important for a country like the United States to recognise that… the diversity or variation in foreign policy outlook within Asean is not a design flaw, but… a feature.
“It is important… from the vantage point of Washington, DC or Beijing or elsewhere to recognise that Asean cherishes and values its autonomy,” he added.
“It is very important to be able to recognise that it’s a feature of Asean that we value very much.”