I'm not sure how it really works due lacking sufficient research for it but...
Do you think the Pacific League works similar to ASEAN in terms of actual worldbuilding in the IEYTD AU you're making?
It's giving me those vibes. But I just wanted to know what you think. /nf
Good question! :D For anyone like me who had to google it:
I'm guessing that's how it works in the canon IEYTD universe, but in my AU, while I think that would be a sort of side effect of the World Leaders, their actual purpose is a little different.
In my AU, the four sections of the world aren't split up that way as any sort of government. The World Leaders are there as sort of a law-keeping authority, specifically around nuclear weapons / technology.
Phoenix's Spark takes place after an alternate-ending WW2 that devolved into nuclear chaos, and could have been a world-ending event if some key figures hadn't managed to bring a stop to it. In the aftermath, it was decided that there had to be some sort of oversight so that this wouldn't happen again.
Each of the World Leaders has a small government-like organization, a military reserve, and an Agency. The Agency that the EOD is a part of is the Hudson Federation's version.
The countries under each section still govern themselves, but would have to contribute to funding the organization (probably based on the size of their population).
With all that in mind, they definitely do have some power over the countries in their jurisdiction. A lot of their power comes from the fact that if one country were to step out of line, the other countries would be obliged to take action on their section's behalf (I really need to come up with a proper name so I don't have to keep saying "section").
This is specifically for if one of the Agencies was to discover a breach on the world's nuclear treaty - but at the same time, organizations with a lot of power aren't usually content to just leave things alone.