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ASEAN offers lessons in diplomacy amid global order's 'abysmal failure,' says Timor-Leste president
🇸🇬 Singapore /Elections & Politics

ASEAN offers lessons in diplomacy amid global order's 'abysmal failure,' says Timor-Leste president

From CNA · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta stated that ASEAN offers lessons in transforming conflict into cooperation through diplomacy amid a deteriorating global security order.
  • He criticized the UN Security Council as "moribund" and "irrelevant," arguing that reforms like expanding membership or curbing veto powers are insufficient to make it an effective guardian of international security.
  • Ramos-Horta emphasized that sustained security relies on restraint, consistency, and dialogue, not coercion, and warned that when rules appear to favor some states over others, smaller nations question the true nature of international order.

Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta presented the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a model for successful diplomacy, offering valuable lessons in transforming conflict into cooperation. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30, he highlighted ASEAN's approach of sustained dialogue and engagement as a safeguard against conflict and a provider of shared benefits.

In a world where bridges are burned faster than they are built, ASEAN provides lessons on how sustained dialogues (and) engagement can safeguard against conflict and deliver shared benefits.

— José Ramos-HortaSpeaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta highlighted ASEAN's diplomatic approach.

Ramos-Horta expressed deep concern over the "abysmal failure of global leadership," citing devastating wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon as consequences that reverberate worldwide. He delivered a stark assessment of the United Nations Security Council, labeling it "moribund" and "irrelevant," a reflection of the current global state. He argued that mere structural changes, such as expanding membership or altering veto powers of the permanent members, would not suffice to establish it as a credible guardian of international security.

These are the thoughts of despair and hope that came to me as I watched the abysmal failure of global leadership resulting in devastating wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran … consequences of which reverberate across the world.

— José Ramos-HortaTimor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta reflected on the state of global affairs at the Shangri-La Dialogue.

"Rules do not survive because they are printed in charters. They survive because states show restraint, consistency, and dialogues to resolve grievances," Ramos-Horta asserted. He cautioned against building security through coercion and fear, warning that harm to vulnerable populations erodes confidence in international laws and institutions. "When rules appear to protect some and not others, small states begin to wonder whether the language of order is really only the language of power," he stated, drawing on Timor-Leste's own experience of achieving independence through "years of patient and practical diplomacy."

It is a sad mirror of the state of the world today.

— José Ramos-HortaTimor-Horta described the UN Security Council during his address at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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