Jordan is leaning heavily on its population to keep its economy afloat as it implements reforms, and public frustration has been on display during recent protests. Policies that cut subsidies and raise taxes mark a break from the social contract that has long existed between the country’s rulers and its citizens.

Earlier this month, following an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting, China and its Southeast Asian neighbors announced that they had agreed on a framework, or broad outline, for negotiating a code of conduct in the contested South China Sea. But agreeing to an actual code will be almost impossible.

When it comes to articulating a comprehensive policy to the thorniest issue in U.S.-China relations—the South China Sea dispute—the Trump administration remains unclear and uncoordinated. This lack of clarity and purpose has left American allies and partners in Asia perplexed and anxious.