If A burden shared is a burden halved, this week the Association of South-East Asian Nations (asean) and its most important member, Indonesia, missed an opportunity that could have eased the troubles of both (see page 39). In recent years asean's self-confidence has taken some knocks: three years ago it failed dismally to pull together in the financial crisis that started in Thailand and went on to shake all of East Asia; more recently it has been criticised for taking in Myan-mar, a brutish military dictatorship. Now Indonesia, asean's leader and anchor, seems to be pulling itself apart. The prospect of this sprawling archipelago of 200m people disintegrating into chaos has already unnerved foreign investors. Indonesia needs help. So why can't asean step in?
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