Last year, economists predicted Southeast Asia would be blessed with a strong and vibrant 2018. For next year, they’re not quite so optimistic.Moderating economic growth and higher interest rates lie ahead. The Federal Reserve is set to keep everyone on edge as it navigates an even trickier interest-rate path in 2019, while the trade war between the U.S. and China is already hurting exports in the region.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has come a long way economically and politically over the past 51 years. However, one dimension of ASEAN’s integration process has often been looked over – its social integration between the people of various nationalities in the region. While dollars and cents are undoubtedly important, economic prosperity alone, won’t ensure ASEAN’s success.

Ever since the financial crisis of 1997 swept Asia, many observers felt that some of the affected countries would never fully recover. Southeast Asian countries were among the victims, with Indonesia and Thailand among the worst hit. The currencies of both these countries were hit hard by speculative attacks which devalued them severely.

A major achievement of the European Union (EU) has been the freedom that it has provided for its citizens to travel across borders and live and work together. However, perhaps its greatest legacy is the opportunity that it provides for its member states to address common challenges that span political and historical boundaries.

As the world continues to globalise at a rapid pace, the demand for better and more efficient technology will skyrocket. One of the players feeding that growing demand has been India.According to government statistics, the information technology (IT) sector accounts for 45 percent of India’s services exports and 9.3 percent of its nearly US$2.3 trillion gross domestic product (GDP).

Today, sustainable or renewable energy development is the talk of the town given current global circumstances. Global warming and climate change are already threatening our environment and the world is racing to mitigate these problems.This leaves the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with a development dilemma. It has to contend with the fact that it is a developing region and that means growing energy demand.

At the recently concluded 33rd ASEAN Summit, ASEAN member states expressed their desire to complete the Single Draft Negotiating Text for the Code of Conduct (COC) by next year to resolve the maritime dispute in the South China Sea.

On his week-long tour of Asia, United States (US) Vice President Mike Pence has been promoting a vision of a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region, characterised by unimpeded trade flows, freedom of navigation, and respect for the rule of law, national sovereignty, and existing frontiers. The question is whether this vision of an Indo-Pacific free of “authoritarianism and aggression” is achievable.One country that seems willing to contribute to realising this vision is Japan.

It is that time of year again when leaders from all over the region congregate and discuss key issues facing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). While the official opening of the 33rd ASEAN Summit is scheduled for tomorrow, the summit has been underway since 11 November. However, action and excitement are expected to grow tomorrow with the arrival of some big names such as Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia.

The global population is expected to hit eight billion in 12 years. By 2050, that number will reach nine billion. ASEAN could hold the key to feeding this unprecedented number of people but only if its member countries can look beyond domestic political survival.