Analyst Explains Southeast Asia's Dull Response On Russia-Ukraine Conflict

By Rosmalis Anuar KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) -- The United States, Europe and many other nations have shown a strong response against the Russia-Ukraine conflict, not only by condemning Russia but also imposing sanctions on the ex-Communist nation. Yet as Russia's military operation in Ukraine passed its first week, a strong response from the Southeast Asian region is still not forthcoming to date. As of Thursday, only Singapore and Indonesia have strongly condemned Russia's military operation on Ukraine since Feb 24. Other nations in the region have voiced their concerns over the developments in Ukraine and hoped for a peaceful resolution. However, they avoided condemning Russia or taking tough actions like sanctions. Even though ASEAN foreign ministers had come out with a collective statement last Sunday, expressing their deep concern over the situation in Ukraine and calling on all parties to settle their disputes peacefully, yet it was seen as a mild statement. A researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Gilang Kembara, said Southeast Asian nations' mundane response mirrors the non-partisan stand that they adopted since decolonisation - diversifying their security or trading partners with all sides in their best interest. "I understand that there are several member states that are still unsure where they would place their support on or at least they would like to keep themselves neutral..., but that is because this is how we have been surviving all the while. "They fear taking sides thinking it will jeopardise their commercial and also security interests. However, it is in our interest, or at least in my interest and hope, that we would one day wake up and find ourselves in the right side of history. “The most pressing concern that ASEAN member states could help is the livelihood of the common Ukrainian citizens. ASEAN could start preparing humanitarian assistance, such as food, water, medical supplies, and etc. to those Ukrainians who’ve been internally displaced,” said the Indonesian analyst. He was speaking at a forum on Multilateral and Inclusive Indo-Pacific Region: European Strategy and Opportunities for Malaysia and Southeast Asia, held virtually on Monday. The forum was organised by the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) in collaboration with France’s Embassy in Malaysia. Gilang also expressed his concern that the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin might embolden like minded authoritarian leaders in the Indo-Pacific region, or perhaps even outside of the region to fulfill their ambitions. He said there was also concern that the war in Ukraine would take away the focus of Indo-Pacific resident powers, either France, any European powers or the United States, to shift their focus on Europe. "What we are looking at in Ukraine should serve as a wakeup call for other Southeast Asian states to start to realise that there is this potential, that there is an axis of authoritarianism that would expand their ambitions at the expense of other smaller states," he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin on last Thursday announced a “special military operation” into Ukraine with Russian forces capturing many of Ukranian towns and cities. Talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials on Monday at the Ukraine-Belarus border saw no breakthrough in stopping the conflict. -- BERNAMA