EI SUN OH
THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Manila came and went, without much of a bang, reaching consensus where consensus could be found, and remaining essentially silent on issues deemed perhaps too sensitive and controversial. This is of course in stark contrast to a few previous Asean summits where attempted “forced” consensus either stayed being nothing more than “attempts”, or was even “made” to be withdrawn. Such is the nature of a regional organization still exploring the ultimate options for its continued existence.