Commentary: ASEAN’s energy crisis is not about energy

SEMARANG, Indonesia: The Hormuz blockade has exposed something deeper than a supply disruption – the overarching limits of Southeast Asian agency in a crisis it cannot shape. Six weeks into the worst energy disruption in modern history, the countries of ASEAN have done a great deal. Indonesia has frozen fuel prices, expanded subsidies, and ordered flexible work arrangements to cut consumption. The Philippines declared a national energy emergency. Thailand reactivated coal plants and rationed diesel. Vietnam suspended crude exports and accelerated its ethanol blending program. Across the region, governments have improvised with speed and pragmatism. What none of them has…