Laos' Limitations Portend a Lukewarm Year for ASEAN

In its term as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Laos will likely fail to make significant progress in resolving the civil war in Myanmar or coordinating a unified response to increasingly militarized territorial disputes in the South China Sea. However, Laos will forward the bloc's economic interconnectivity, particularly via digital platforms. Laos became ASEAN's chair on Jan. 1 and will face three primary challenges during its term: the civil war in Myanmar, the South China Sea disputes and the implementation of "ASEAN centrality" doctrine, which broadly refers to the bloc's aspiration to become a geopolitical pole driving its own destiny. Although Laos -- like ASEAN's previous chair, Indonesia -- will likely struggle to address many aspects of these challenges, the country will use its ASEAN chairmanship to forward its national interests....