A U.S. Envoy to ASEAN

Senator Richard Lugar—who acted as informal foreign policy tutor to Barack Obama during the president’s Senate days—reportedly wants the United States to appoint a full-time ambassador to ASEAN, the leading Asian regional organization. The new Ambassador will be the first US Ambassador to ASEAN to be posted in Jakarta, Indonesia, the home of the ASEAN ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

Senator Richard Lugar—who acted as informal foreign policy tutor to Barack Obama during the president's Senate days—reportedly wants the United States to appoint a full-time ambassador to ASEAN, the leading Asian regional organization.

Senator Richard Lugar—who acted as informal foreign policy tutor to Barack Obama during the president’s Senate days—reportedly wants the United States to appoint a full-time ambassador to ASEAN, the leading Asian regional organization.

The new Ambassador will be the first US Ambassador to ASEAN to be posted in Jakarta, Indonesia, the home of the ASEAN Secretariat. As ASEAN moves toward its vision of full economic, political and cultural integration, Jakarta is slowly becoming the Brussels of ASEAN.  Last month, Japan became the first country to post an ambassador to ASEAN in Jakarta who is not double-hatted as the ambassador to Indonesia.  A new US Ambassador would follow, and it is expected that other countries will pursue this model.

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.