Over a million Southeast Asian citizens, many working in the Middle East, face direct threat from the ongoing Iran war, as leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted a contingency plan Friday in Cebu, Philippines, to mitigate the conflict's economic fallout.
The United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28 this year, initiating the hostilities.
These hostilities have continued sporadically despite a month-old ceasefire, particularly in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The conflict has triggered fuel price spikes, which disproportionately impact the working class across the region.
Several Southeast Asian citizens have already been killed since the military strikes began.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hosted the group’s annual summit and ordered it stripped of traditional pomp, citing "economic headwinds worldwide" caused by the war.
Marcos stated that the Iran war exposed the "weaknesses" of Southeast Asian nations to "external shocks," warning that recovery could take years even if the war ends now.
Capital's War, Workers' Cost
The adopted contingency plan calls for actions such as the ratification of an agreement for coordinated emergency fuel sharing, possibly this year.
The plan also includes planning a regional power grid and fuel stockpile, and diversifying the region’s sources of crude oil.
Promoting the use of electric vehicles and studying new technologies, including civilian nuclear energy, were also part of the crisis plan.
Marcos acknowledged that establishing a regional fuel stockpile and power grid is a "complex matter" that "may take a long time."
He questioned the practicalities of a regional fuel reserve, asking, "Is it going to be in one single place? Is it going to be scattered through the whole of ASEAN?"
A regional power grid, considered for years, has only been realized "at a fairly small level," according to Marcos.
Despite these challenges, Marcos stated that the leaders were "unfazed" and "committed to making this succeed because everyone is suffering and everyone wants to get out of this situation."
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow was more emphatic, stating that "This war should not have occurred in the first place."
Sihasak added that "all ASEAN states were alarmed" and questioned the conflict's purpose, saying, "We don’t know what the objectives are right?"
State Responses to Imperialist Aggression
A key dilemma for the ASEAN leaders was how to carry out large-scale evacuations from the Middle East, where more than a million of their citizens work and live, if widespread hostilities flared up again. This population, largely composed of migrant workers, faces direct peril from the conflict.
The joint declaration issued by the leaders called on the regional bloc’s 11 state members to share information and strengthen coordination with international organizations "to ensure the safety and welfare of ASEAN nationals in affected areas."
Marcos told fellow leaders that "Even if the tensions de-escalate in time, the damage to critical infrastructure, to vital systems and trust in general will continue to be felt for years to come."
He further stated that "Until the fighting ends, until the bombing ends, then it is very difficult to put together any kind of solution," highlighting the limitations of regional planning in the face of ongoing imperialist conflict.
Known for their conservative and careful rhetoric, top delegates to the ASEAN summit avoided blunt expressions of their disappointment over the continuing hostilities.
Despite the focus on the Middle East, the leaders also discussed major regional flash points, including the South China Sea territorial disputes involving Beijing, a five-year civil war in Myanmar, and a recent border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.
East Timor was accepted as a full member in October last year, joining Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.