Moral clarity or strategic paralysis? ASEAN is caught in Gaza dilemma
Imran K halid is a Karachi-based geostrategic analyst and freelance writer.
When Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged closer ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) coordination on June 7 to help halt Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza, it was more than just diplomatic rhetoric -- it was a clarion call for collective regional conscience. Beneath the rhetoric, however, lies a rather confused regional bloc torn between competing instincts: solidarity versus strategy, moral posture versus economic pragmatism.

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Asahi Shimbun
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The eldest son of Shizuo Aishima, former adviser to Ohkawara Kakohki Co., right, speaks at a news conference on June 11 in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. (Shota Tomonaga) For a Yokohama-based company falsely accused of exporting equipment that could be used to make biological weapons, the apology that officials had long sought finally came. However, anger and disappointment remain as one of the accused officials has passed away and the clock cannot be turned back to undo the damage. Five years and three months have passed since the arrest of three officials of Ohkawara Kakohki Co., a manufacturer and exporter of spray dryers, in March 2020. Their fight against the illegal investigation reached a major milestone on June 11 when the police and prosecutors declined to appeal a court ruling that the prosecution and arrests were illegal, and the award of damages to the three plaintiffs. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department also issued an apology. 'It's finally over. It's all over now. 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Nikkei Asia
a day ago
- Nikkei Asia
Moral clarity or strategic paralysis? ASEAN is caught in Gaza dilemma
Imran K halid is a Karachi-based geostrategic analyst and freelance writer. When Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged closer ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) coordination on June 7 to help halt Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza, it was more than just diplomatic rhetoric -- it was a clarion call for collective regional conscience. Beneath the rhetoric, however, lies a rather confused regional bloc torn between competing instincts: solidarity versus strategy, moral posture versus economic pragmatism.