Kuala Lampur, July 16 -- If diplomacy is akin to dexterous manoeuvres, then President Donald J. Trump is both the creative director and the post-modern impresario.

One who demands the stage be set before he even enters the theatre that is Asean and East Asian.

With the Asean and East Asian Summits scheduled for October 25 to 26 in Kuala Lumpur, speculation is mounting: will Trump show up?

The answer, it seems, depends entirely on whether Asean is prepared to meet what are now widely viewed as Trump's ostensible five conditions. These demands are not just about North Korea; they reflect Trump's worldview - coercive, hierarchical, and intensely performative.

One of Trump's key expectations is that Asean formally designates North Korea a...