As Asian foreign ministers gather this week in Laos to discuss regional security issues, the main sideline topic is likely to be US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s no-show. Citing a scheduling clash, Rice is sending deputy Robert Zoellick to the annual forum, which runs July 28-29 during a summit held by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Foreign ministers from China, Japan, the Koreas, India, and Pakistan are among the other “dialog partners” to ASEAN. Full Story