The First ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus 8

Geopolitical uncertainties in Southeast Asia make this year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Defense Ministers Meeting mainly a U.S.-China show. The most contentious issue in the region — the South China Sea — is not on the agenda, and the meeting is not likely to yield any breakthrough agreements. But inviting “dialogue partners” from the U.S. security alliance as well as Russia and India is a first, and it could give ASEAN states more room to maneuver in balancing their relationships with the United States and China.