When Pete answered South Korea, Japan and Australia, Sen. Duckworth asked him to do his homework before any future negotiations with the alliance, whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea are “observer states.”
Taken together, ASEAN represents the fifth-largest economy in the world.
The U.S. is treaty partners with ASEAN members Thailand and the Philippines, and seeks cooperation with ASEAN for its regional influence to counter China, in order to promote what the White House has called “a free and open region that is connected, prosperous, secure and resilient.”
Sen. Duckworth seems certain that Mr. Hegseth is out of his league.
In the (abbreviated) clip below she notes his incompetence as a high-level officer of negotiation and management, and his focus as a culture warrior. The clip begins at the 36:30 mark.
She’s good. She would make a …