As Marcos Jr. smiles for the cameras beside his ASEAN counterparts, the region’s leaders once again mistake ceremony for strategy. ASEAN preserved peace by staying silent, but silence is no longer diplomacy, it is surrender. A Table of Smiles As Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with his fellow ASEAN leaders for yet another summit filled with handshakes, choreographed smiles, and carefully
Tag: Southeast Asia
I left the Philippines in 2013. Since then, I’ve lived in the U.S., discovered the joy of functioning public libraries, and gotten spoiled by tap water you can actually drink. But even after more than a decade away, my screen still lights up with poverty maps of the Philippines—every shade of red feels personal. It’s as if the map knows