From the Driver’s Seat to the Backseat - Regional Cooperation in Southeast Asia

For the media the most significant outcome of the meeting of foreign ministers of the ten ASEAN countries was the announcement that they are considering a joint bid to host the football World Cup in 2030. Apparently, the ministers were trying to improve public perception of ASEAN at a time when the regional organisation was not really able to show any great progress on the issue of integration. The announcement of a possible bid to host the football World Cup did at least distract some attention from the current problems within the association and provided some positive publicity.