Global reverberations from Russian move

The recent United Nations General Assembly vote on a special resolution deploring the attack on Ukraine has brought cleavages across Asia into focus and could leave scars in international relationships, given how they lined up during the vote. While an overwhelming majority voted to denounce Russia's invasion and just a handful opposed, 35 nations abstained. And just as President Vladimir Putin appears to want to reshape the contours of Europe, the consequences of the UN vote could revisit those who did not back it in the months and years ahead. Within Asean, Vietnam and Laos abstained but the grouping's eight other members voted in favour, including Cambodia, the current Asean chair. Asia's giants, China and India, abstained, as did the South Asian nations of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. But Nepal and Bhutan, which sit uneasily next to China and India, backed the resolution.

International political observers would have taken note of Cambodia and the United Arab Emirates. That Phnom Penh, whose foreign policy is generally regarded as being especially sensitive to Beijing's interests, should have diverged with China is noteworthy. As Asean chair it would not want to be out of step with the majority sentiment in the grouping - which is that of indignation and anxiety over Russia's assault on a significantly smaller and weaker neighbour. Cambodia could also be signalling that it does not necessarily align with Beijing's thinking in South-east Asia. In Western Asia, the UAE dropped its previous abstention in the Security Council to back the General Assembly resolution deploring the invasion.