ASEAN waves the flag

According to this report in the New Straits Times, ASEAN members will now fly the regional group’s flag alongside national flags at government and diplomatic posts: The Asean flag will now be flown permanently beside the national flag of all member states of the regional grouping. This is part of the guidelines on the use ...

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

According to this report in the New Straits Times, ASEAN members will now fly the regional group's flag alongside national flags at government and diplomatic posts:

According to this report in the New Straits Times, ASEAN members will now fly the regional group’s flag alongside national flags at government and diplomatic posts:

The Asean flag will now be flown permanently beside the national flag of all member states of the regional grouping.

This is part of the guidelines on the use of the Asean flag and to increase the sense of Asean identity among members.

The flag is to be flown at all Asean national secretariats, diplomatic and consular missions in member states and dialogue partners.

In related news, ASEAN’s secretary-general, Surin Pitsuwan, told the Wall Street Journal today that investors wary of Western financial markets should consider Southeast Asia as a safe alternative:

Surin Pitsuwan noted that Southeast Asia is growing, it is nestled between India and China and it dealt with its own scary debt problems over a decade ago, making it an attractive alternative amid the global volatility triggered by concerns about how the U.S. and Europe will deal with their debt, as well as whether the U.S. economy will slide into recession again.

"If they are looking for a safer haven, this is it," he told The Wall Street Journal in an interview. "The Chinese and the Japanese that are worried will want to look around for better prospects for their investments and this is one of the hopeful regions."

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

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