Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Southeast Asia’s response to the Iran war, the uncertain future of Britain’s Labour Party, and allegations of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.

A ‘Bare Bones’ Summit

The leaders’ summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is traditionally filled with a level of pomp and pageantry befitting regional pride. But this year, the bloc took a “bare bones” approach to its confab to reflect the dire economic straits that the Iran war has inflicted on much of the world.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Southeast Asia’s response to the Iran war, the uncertain future of Britain’s Labour Party, and allegations of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.

A ‘Bare Bones’ Summit

The leaders’ summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is traditionally filled with a level of pomp and pageantry befitting regional pride. But this year, the bloc took a “bare bones” approach to its confab to reflect the dire economic straits that the Iran war has inflicted on much of the world.

“Even if the tensions de-escalate in time, the damage to critical infrastructure, to vital systems and trust in general, will continue to be felt for years to come,” said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the host of this week’s summit, adding that the Iran war has revealed how exposed ASEAN members are to external market shocks—namely, rising fuel costs.

To combat this, the bloc’s 11 members agreed on Friday to adopt a contingency plan that calls on all ASEAN nations to expedite the ratification of an emergency fuel-sharing pact that was signed in 2009 but not enforced; such a pact would pave the way for the creation of a regional power grid and fuel stockpile.

“Our resilience must be built proactively with a clear forward-looking approach,” Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said. The group vowed on Friday to promote efforts to diversify the region’s crude sources, and it advocated for the use of electric vehicles and other green technologies while investing further research into civilian nuclear energy.

In addition, ASEAN pledged to bolster cooperation in maritime security by creating a center to monitor cases of illegal fishing, smuggling, and human trafficking in the disputed South China Sea. These efforts are to ensure that the vital maritime territory does not become embroiled in a conflict similar to the one in the Strait of Hormuz. “If such a thing would happen in the South China........

© Foreign Policy