Old security problems have improved a bit, especially since Myanmar and India began co-operating against rebels from each side who were seeking sanctuary on the other.
This would also entail Iran co-operating against terrorism, opening up its economy, improving human rights and recognising Israel (the ayatollahs say they would accept a Jewish state once they are satisfied that the Palestinians do, too).
The two parties agreed to co-operate against terrorism and not to play politics with the issue.
Hence the limits of last year's bilateral agreement with Pakistan to co-operate against crime and security threats were exposed by several weeks of recent border tensions.
On July 3rd the club's environment ministers met in Dhaka to announce a regional plan to co-operate against climate-induced problems.
It may be that a deal has been struck whereby Guzmán co-operates against Los Zetas – who are his real adversaries – with the authorities, who are not, in return for a laissez-faire approach to his cartel.
"You don't play Gandhi with a jihadi .In a world of less tangled relationships, the targeting of Lebanon and Syria by jihadists might prompt both governments to co-operate against a joint enemy.
On August 1st, he signed an agreement to co-operate against terror at the ASEAN Regional Forum, a South-East Asian security grouping.But fighting terror in South-East Asia, as everywhere, is a complicated task.
AT ONE, for once: Spain's governing People's Party PPP) on the centre-right and the main oppposition party, the Socialists, this week agreed to co-operate against Basque terrorism.
The United States, too, twitches at the prospect of Mr Erdogan taking over, lest he be loth to co-operate against terrorism and ends Turkey's cosy military relationship with Israel.
In the recent election for the governorship of Krasnoyarsk, some Kremlinites backed the populist ex-general, Alexander Lebed, though for others (including Mr Yeltsin) he remains enemy number one and a front-runner to win the federal presidency in two years' time.What if the regional bosses were to co-operate against the centre?
