With three new leaders taking power over the past year — in Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing (and a fourth in Pyongyang two years ago) — 2013 was never likely to be a banner year for regional diplomacy. But I didn't expect it to get quite this bad.
It is normal for new leaders to grandstand and posture and take tough stands, because they want to impress while consolidating power. Under such circumstances, the spirit of compromise suffers, as anything smacking of concessions is taboo. There is not much room to establish trust and dialogue if leaders keep talking past one another on the issues that divide them, while sticking with policies and stances that are sources of regional tensions.
Summitry is no cure-all and can involve more pomp than substance, but top-level, eyeball-to-eyeball meetings can also generate some momentum and provide opportunities for direct exchanges between leaders that may reveal previously unexplored common ground.