The 2026 Hormuz crisis has exposed one of Southeast Asia’s most dangerous strategic vulnerabilities: deep dependence on Gulf oil, LNG, and LPG without a credible regional energy security architecture. As maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed, ASEAN governments faced rising fuel prices, LNG shocks, fiscal pressure, and public anxiety. Yet ASEAN, as an institution, responded largely with diplomatic ambiguity. This policy perspective argues that ASEAN’s silence is not neutral. It reflects the combined weight of energy dependence, non-interference culture, institutional paralysis, and fear of offending major powers. Indonesia faces the most acute dilemma: maintaining a major US energy deal while responding to Islamic solidarity and the moral burden of the Iran war. From Jakarta to Aceh, the crisis shows that geopolitics is no longer distant. Energy insecurity now enters households, kitchens, mosques, markets, and state budgets across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN’s Hormuz Dilemma: Why Southeast Asia’s Energy Dependence Has Become a Strategic Crisis
Written by
in