Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Southeast Asia Brief.

The highlights this week: Myanmar’s junta is in talks with Malaysia and the United States; Malaysia’s government releases an election-friendly budget; and an Indonesian brain-rot meme takes over the internet.

Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Southeast Asia Brief.

The highlights this week: Myanmar’s junta is in talks with Malaysia and the United States; Malaysia’s government releases an election-friendly budget; and an Indonesian brain-rot meme takes over the internet.

Myanmar’s Diplomatic Breakthrough

It was a week of diplomatic victories for the Myanmar junta.

First, on Wednesday, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing landed in Malaysia.

Once a staunch opponent of the postcoup regime, Malaysia has flipped in return for being allowed to deport Myanmar migrants and refugees. (Mercifully, Rohingya refugees seem to have escaped this by dint of Myanmar refusing to accept their citizenship.)

Following his meeting with Min Aung Hlaing, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared, “Malaysia will do whatever is possible to make sure that we … ultimately, take Myanmar as part of our community of nations, without prejudice, and particularly in the context of ASEAN,” the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Though a government representative then emphasized that Malaysia still did not formally recognize Min Aung Hlaing’s government…

Then, on Thursday, Reuters broke the news that the United States had started direct talks with the junta, reversing a policy of isolation adopted since the 2021 coup. For now, talks are apparently focused on shutting down scam centers that target Americans. There were also preliminary discussions about Myanmar’s deposits of heavy rare earths.

Michael Vance, the U.S. assistant secretary of ​state for intelligence and research, is among those leading the talks. The opening came after Vance met with Min Aung Hlaing in September to secure the release of former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar—and superfan of U.S. President Donald Trump—Adam Castillo.

Since its sham election earlier this year—and Min Aung Hlaing’s shift in position from head of the military to president—Myanmar has been on a diplomatic push. These latest developments show success in shifting the position of previously firm opponents, but they also pose two questions.

First, is Myanmar on the path to normalization with ASEAN? I lean toward yes. Trips to Brunei and Indonesia, which both played a big role in freezing Myanmar out after the  coup, are apparently on the cards for Min Aung Hlaing, according to a Myanmar government spokesperson.

If these trips go ahead, three holdouts will remain. The Philippines has already signaled a shift. In an interview on Thursday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. praised the Malaysia trip and described developments with Myanmar as “shoots coming out of the ground.”

Singapore looks more resolute. It was, according to my sources, very unhappy with the informal ASEAN-Myanmar meeting hosted in........

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