Sensitivity in discourse needed, as US strains its ties with ASEAN membersThailand -- The way Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte responded to U.S. questioning of his government's handling of the anti-narcotics campaign showed that future relations between the world's most powerful country and its closest Southeast Asian ally are shifting fast. In the past, both the U.S. and Philippines were more tolerant of each others' misgivings — even their nincompoop leaders. The Philippines is the freest country in ASEAN and it has a checks and balances system as in the U.S. The U.S. government's attitude toward Vientiane on human rights issues was more circumspect and well thought out. In return, Laos permitted Obama to address Laotian youths directly, as well as young people from ASEAN — the first town hall meeting in the country's recent history.

Source: The China Post September 12, 2016 16:24 UTC