Global power shifts need changed ideas

Views on how to navigate/manage/exploit/avoid obliteration by (delete as appropriate) the world’s changing power configuration come thick and fast these days.

Here are some recent SEA-relevant pieces.

Anthony Milner argues that if Australia is “not to be a ‘lonely country’ – and this would be an uncomfortable fate – Australians will also need to be prudent in handling our neighbours. Abusing Malaysia, for instance, does not help to promote the type of regional cooperation we need to handle refugee flows.”

This is an obvious but very good point.

I don’t think abusing ASEAN helps much either, but it's still a kind of reflex action in many circles.

In similar vein, Shiro Armstrong reminds us that “Indonesia is now a larger economy than Australia’s in purchasing power parity terms”, and its power and influence are likely to grow. Presumably, this is another neighbour that would repay more prudent handling. It's not just what the government says that is important. I have had many conversations with Indonesians who feel their country does not get a fair deal from the Australian media. And public attitudes towards Indonesia “remain mired in distrust and suspicion”, according to this year's Lowy Institute poll. 

Meanwhile, Javad Heydarian regrets a tendency on the part of the US as well “to relegate ASEAN to a secondary position within its broader Asian policy”. Some of this is due to ASEAN’s own (so easy to blame, so hard to fix) “institutional handicaps”. But there is also the fear that “ASEAN has transformed into something of a strategic battleground for Beijing and Washington”.

It sounds like a change in mindset on SEA would be useful across the board.