A cautiously optimistic year ahead
policy which the international community should not interfere with. But how account for the fact that many senior American diplomatic positions remain unfilled, especially when the US Senate which is supposed to confirm such presidential appointments (or not) remains in Republican control?
The net result of such American “remission” from the international is, not surprisingly, the natural creation of a strategic void which sundry who are ambitious and more than willing. I won’t say it’s totally gone, but rare are the days when the US remained as the world’s indisputable superpower that polices the tumultuous lands and choppy waters of the world, - ing tyrannies. The North Korean - ant of international sanctions, for example. The Rohingya refugees continue to roam overland or set out for the open sea.
And despite their supposedly utter defeat in the Middle Eastern - lamic State and associated terrorist ideological attraction for what can perhaps best be described as “vol sprouting profusely right here in Southeast Asia, adding a tremendous burden to already stretchedout security concerns of various regional countries. Globally, the emergence of lone-wolf terrorists no less terrifying casualties on innocent civilians. I frankly think the in amplitude the previous years’. The world has witnessed similar senseless (in the eyes of the global mainstream community) assaults by anarchists at the turn of the last century, and by extreme leftists in the second half of the same cen- tury, and now it is the turn of the religious fanatics. The trend will go on for a number of years, as much as I don’t want to callously predict it as such based on historical precedents above.
But most of all I continue to be concerned with the slow economic recovery of this region in the after from a decade ago. It is perhaps US, and especially Wall Street, as the source of such economic calamity, for even the US itself, in my humble opinion, is still reeling from the trauma of argu European economic performance appears lackluster, but its leaders do not appear to grasp the timetested axiom of “it’s the economy, stupid!” Instead, they still wallow in the interminable debate over whether to build on “an ever closer union” or to decamp from such. It is commendable that the European Union (EU) enshrines and symbolizes a democratic congregation of nations and encourages democratization of its potential members. But to demand from its members that they essentially hand over more of their sovereignty in favor of a centralized supranational entity, is perhaps slightly over the top.
In any case the success and failures of the EU will always serve as a role model for our very own Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean). We as neighboring nations with vastly dissimilar cultures both among and within ourselves should especially be courteous and sensitive to each other’s needs and aspirations. When we have shortcomings, however, we should similarly not mind too much the good- faith advice and even warning from our neighbors, but instead welcome - tions. Only with such camaraderie can we leap forward to propel our much sought-after growth.