Brunei served as host to important regional leadership gatherings, including the ASEAN Regional Forum, the East Asia Summit, and ASEAN’s summit meetings with key dialogue partners. In addition to demonstrating Bandar Seri Begawan’s diplomatic competence, despite being a tiny sultanate with less than 500,000 people, Brunei’s successful steering of this year’s regional meetings indicates that, in contrast to some harsh criticisms, ASEAN can still come together on important issues and continues to be a helpful resource for its member states.