Two views of Southeast Asia have emerged in recent years. One is of sun-drenched tourist beaches, cityscapes of glass-fronted skyscrapers, and factories feeding global supply chains while wealth spreads through communities. Southeast Asia as a developing region prides itself on being far removed from the bloodshed of the Middle East and the poverty of Africa and South Asia. That is accurate just as another view is also accurate, of a region that has been trampled by outside powers for centuries, has failed to break through decisively on tackling the negative forces of poverty, corruption, and
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