Timor-Leste’s Unexpected Role in ASEAN When Timor-Leste joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as the bloc’s 11th member at the 47th Summit in Kuala Lumpur, many celebrated the expansion. Yet beneath the ceremonial fanfare lies a substantive shift: Timor-Leste is positioning itself as an essential neutrality anchor within Southeast Asia. As regional powers…