President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine from Feb 24 is deeply consequential for Southeast Asia, both as a region and Asean as a regional organisation. Even though this region is relatively far away from the cut and thrust of Russia's war in Ukraine, Asean has already encountered new internal divisions stemming from the raging conflict in Europe. As a result, Asean's age-old approach of consensus will likely become more problematic in the search for new and more effective ways of cooperation among like-minded member states.
Russia's war is akin to the third of a triple whammy for Asean's divisiveness. First, Asean has been divided since the infamous incident in 2012 when Cambodia, as Asean's chair at the time, was unable to lead the 10-member grouping to come up with a joint statement. The sticking point was China's manoeuvres in the South China Sea, which were opposed by the Philippines and Vietnam.
