As regards sensitive political matters, discussion among a number of major powers may help to defuse tensions by “bring in others less directly connected,so that less face is lost.”
Thus, enmeshment mediates against the possibility of violent rivalry between major powers in the region and great power aggression against smaller states. More constructively, Southeast Asian countries
hope that, over time and with greater interdependence, these powers will discover that they have common interests that are not mutually exclusive, such as the economic benefits of free trade and secure trading routes in the region.They would thus be unwilling to disrupt the status quo at each other’s expense