ASEAN’s Problem with Democracy

Tasha Haug / July 28, 2010

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on July 22 to participate in Asia’s largest security conference. This past week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) and the 43rd ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers Meeting was filled with diplomatic discussions on how to create a safer and more economically efficient East Asian community.

At the ASEAN Plus and ARF dialogues, Clinton participated in several discussions, including ones on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, their recent attack on a South Korean Naval Ship, Burma’s upcoming political elections and human rights violations, and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. An Asian diplomat referred to the multilateral discussions as “a game of diplomatic brinkmanship,” referring to the politically controversial nature of the topics. (more…)