Cambodia — 9DASHLINE

South Korea's midterm election tests democratic resilience

Written by Dr Hannes B. Mosler

The short-term challenge of this election is to prevent a conservative majority in parliament, lest the current autocratic episode in South Korean democracy turn into a post-democratic vortex.

East Asia9DLApril 9, 2024HANNES B. MOSLER, South Korea's midterm election tests democratic resilience, 9Dashline, South Korea, democracy, election, parliament, midterm election, democratic resilience, K-pop, Park Geun-hye, Park Geun-hye’s impeachment, corruption, FES Human Rights Prize, mass demonstrations, democracy research, formal democracy, Moon Jae-in, President Yoon Suk-yeol, democracy problem, democratisation, democracy index, V-DEM, South Korea’s democracy, backsliding, autocratizing country, autocratisation, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Liberal Democracy Index, negative campaigning, governance failures, New Right ideology, Itaewon disaster, press freedom, labour rights, ageing society, inflation, real estate prices, medical schools, political parties, President Yoon's inauguration, party leadership, People Power Party (PPP), Lee Jae-myung, Democratic Party (DP), electoral law reform, National Assembly, satellite parties, Justice Minister Cho Kuk, Rebuilding Korea Party, Public Official Election Act, constituency, lame-duck, lame duck, Yoon’s ‘lame duck’ presidency, post-democratic

Clashes in the South China Sea, looking back at the PCA Ruling

Written by Varenya Singh and Chetan Rana

China's persistent rejection of the tribunal's jurisdiction and ruling, along with its continuous assertion of sovereignty, underscores the limitations of international legal mechanisms in addressing deep-rooted geopolitical disputes.

Pacific, Power Politics9DLMarch 11, 20249DASHLINE, Clashes in the South China Sea, looking back at the PCA Ruling, Chetan Rana, Varenya Singh, South China Sea, Cold War, Europe, West Asia, Ukraine, Gaza, China, Philippines, South China Sea (SCS), SCS, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, map, standard map, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), littoral states, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines Coast Guard, Sierra Madre, Second Thomas Shoal, Spratly Islands, Filipino, grey-zone activities, non-military vessels, territorial claims, maritime militia, Beijing, Manila, vessels, maritime territorial disputes, arbitral proceedings, arbitration, Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), PCA, PCA award of 2016, PCA ruling, China’s nine-dash line, nine-dash line, Annex VII, Arbitration Tribunal under Annex VII of UNCLOS, UNCLOS, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, sovereignty, delimitation, artificially built islands, delimitation of state boundaries, Article 9, unilateral, fishermen, marine resources, fishing, 12 nautical mile, extractive, purely extractive activity, self-dependent economic activity, maritime fishing zones, coral reefs, turtle, clam, international law, dispute, ASEAN, Code of Conduct (CoC), COC, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., non-claimant states, Australia, Japan, United States, us, USA, militarising, military exercises, sea lanes, environmental crisis, securitisation, marine diversity, sustainability, realpolitik, Israel-Hamas conflict

In Forum: 2024 — The future of ASEAN

Great power politics in the Indo-Pacific has put the future and centrality of ASEAN under some doubt. How can ASEAN negotiate greater space for itself amid the intensifying great power rivalry?

9DASHLINE asks a select group of experts whether ASEAN can withstand these internal and external pressures.

Southeast Asia, Editor's Picks9DLFebruary 16, 20249dashline, DR. PRASHANTH PARAMESWARAN, GORDON CONOCHIE, NAZIA HUSSAIN, Hunter Marston, ASEAN, great power politics, Myanmar Coup, South China Sea, Cambodia, China, Philippine, In Forum: 2024 — The future of ASEAN

Sustaining change in Cambodia: Hun Manet's journey of steady reform

Written by Jason Chumtong and Soth Chhayheng

The initial months of Hun Manet’s rule have been guided by public interest and the introduction of long-term strategies for the nation's progress to 2050, prompting reflection on the advancement of his vision for Cambodia's role in the region.

Southeast Asia9DLJanuary 25, 20249dashline, Sustaining change in Cambodia: Hun Manet's journey of steady reform, Jason Chumtong, Soth Chhayheng, Cambodia, Hun Manet, Hun Sen, long-term strategies, strategic policies, stability, foreign affairs, Pentagon Strategy, Kingdom of Cambodia, human capital development, economic diversification, economic competitiveness, private sector development, resilient development, sustainable development, inclusive development, digital economy, digital society, strategic shift, strategic guidance, collaboration, transregional political alliances, contemporary global strategies, reform, inclusive governance models, power sharing, domestic politics, opposition parties, competitive elections, least developed country, LDC, economic policies, economic reform, economic growth, foreign investment, national self-reliance, preferential market access, development aid, exports, garment industry, Everything But Arms, EBA, EU, duty-free access schemes, US market, EU market, Prime Minister, Prime Minister Hun Manet, human capital, social welfare, employment opportunities, healthcare, foreign direct investment, 43rd ASEAN Summit, ASEAN, UNGA, Saudi Arabia, ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit, ASEAN-Japan Summit, Sretta Thavisin, diplomatic gesture, state visits, mass immigration, water disputes, energy resource exploration, indo-pacific, Victoria Nuland, Cambodia-US relations, USAID, diplomatic ties, US-China rivalry, Ream Naval Base, Brazil, diversification, Emmanuel Macron, France, political leadership, Khmer politics, fiscal policy, bilateral meetings, World Economic Forum, inauguration

Structural trends could force swing states to choose sides

Written by Marc Saxer

‘Partnerships of the Middle’ recognise the aversion of Asian powers against alliances and offer informal avenues of collaboration to safeguard global public goods.

Power Politics9DLNovember 7, 20239DASHLINE, Will structural trends force ‘swing states’ to choose sides?, Marc Saxer, China, United States, hegemony, competition, Indo-Pacific, superpowers, allies, balancing, balancing power, balancing game, balancing strategies, bloc building, bloc, technological bifurcation, bipolarity, band-waggon, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, military alliance, Marcos Jr., President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President Marcos Jr., treaty ally, Russia, North Korea, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Burmese junta, Myanmar, ASEAN, bloc formation, binaries, Taiwan, cold war, hot war, hedging, Global South, Russian invasion, Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Malaysia, Pakistan, Beijing, International Monetary Fund (IMF), bailout, swing state, bamboo diplomacy, Thailand, Washington, Quad, Quadrilateral Dialogue, technology transfers, BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Bangladesh, Vietnam, diversification, supply chains, China plus One, multi-alignment, non-alignment, Biden administration, de-risking, decoupling, democracies, systemic rivalry, autocracies, rules-based international order, Tokyo, Canberra, G20, 5G, Huawei, Netherlands, South China Sea, geoeconomic, geoeconomy, geoeconomics, export controls, investment bans, strategic competition, friend-shoring, Eurozone, sovereign debt crises, the West, sanction regime, SWIFT, de-dollarisation, Renminbi, Russian System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS), Chinese Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), Chip4, Partnerships of the Middle, Group of Friends for Multilateralism, Structural trends could force swing states to choose sides

The myth of the 'vassal state': China’s influence in Laos is waning

Written by Joanne Lin

Statistics have shown that although China has a significant degree of influence over Laos, it is certainly not controlling the country.

UNSC Resolution 2669 and the future of the Myanmar crisis

Written by Sadia Korobi

ASEAN members must realise that short-term economic benefits in Myanmar cannot overshadow the history of ineffective and unreliable military regimes in the country since independence.

Cambodian election in 2023: No space for the opposition

Written by Perle Petit

Hun Manet’s image as a ‘clean politician’, in combination with the relative stability of the country (when compared to regional neighbours), will most likely play in the government’s favour in terms of improving Cambodia’s relationship with the West.

Southeast Asia9DLFebruary 14, 20239Dashline, Perle Petit, Cambodian election in 2023: No space for the opposition, Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), elections, ASEAN, China-US power struggle, foreign policy, CPP victory, regime legitimacy, Joe Biden, the West, nepotism, corruption, repression, Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), Sam Rainsy Party, Human Rights Party, opposition, political competition, crackdown, Supreme Court, independent media, civil society, parliamentarians, treason, exile, electoral legitimacy, electoral autocratic ‘window-dressing exercises’, political ban, Candlelight Party (CLP), National Assembly, co-opted legal system, CLP Vice President Son Chhay, mass trials, Dam Sith, National Election Committee, Hun Manet, Commander of the Army, CPP’s Central Committee, old guard, China, US, President of the Senate

ASEAN enters 2023 in a moment of crisis

Written by Hunter Marston

Some experts suggest Indonesia is likely to propose adopting a seven-vote threshold instead of requiring all ten members to agree on passing a measure. This would go a long way to making the institution more agile, responsive, and decisive.

Southeast Asia9DLJanuary 17, 20239dashline, ASEAN prepares to enter 2023 in a moment of crisis, Hunter Marston, ASEAN, East Asia Summit, Phnom Penh, power competition, consensus, regional, Southeast Asian, Sino-US rivalry, democracy versus authoritarianism, coup in Myanmar, myanmar, China, USA, Indonesia, Cold War, Vietnam’s occupation of Cambodia, Vietnam, Cambodia, withdrawal of US forces from Thailand, Soviet, civil war in Myanmar, Five Point Consensus, bloc, ASEAN centrality, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore, Myanmar military, junta, Myanmar Junta, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, Malaysia, Cambodia’s strongman Hun Sen, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Thailand, authoritarian, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG), Continental versus maritime Southeast Asia, Philippines, military junta, South China Sea, democracy, Laos, territorial claims in the East Sea, Code of Conduct for maritime disputes, Timor-Leste, United States, US-China rivalry, Hoang Thi Ha, Japan, Australia, minilateral, Quad, AUKUS, Great Power competition, US President Joe Biden, Washington, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kremlin, United Nations, rules-based order, Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, diversity, 1991 Paris Peace Accords, military regime, Yangon, “CMLV” states, Asian Financial Crisis, trade, currency exchange regime, ASEAN’s convening power, ASEAN enters 2023 in a moment of crisis

How and why Japan can be an alternative to China in the Indo-Pacific

Written by Kyoko Hatakeyama

Moreover, since Japan has maintained a stable relationship with China — despite their territorial disputes — the region does not have to worry about backlash or anger from China just because they choose Japan over China.

East Asia9DLDecember 16, 20229dashline, How and why Japan can be an alternative to China in the Indo-Pacific, Kyoko Hatakeyama, Japan, China, South China Sea, nine-dash line, Senkaku Island, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, RCEP, TPP, United States, Trans-Pacific Partnership, trade partner, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, CPTPP, Tokyo, Beijing, regional economic integration, sphere of influence, Sino-centric order, infrastructure projects, G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment, G20, Trilateral Partnership for Infrastructure Investment, indo-pacific, Abeonomics, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Abenomics, Shinzo Abe, South Korea, Taiwan, Jakarta, Bandung, Indonesia, Cambodia, debt, debt trap, Pacific Island states, Solomon Islands, Australia, New Zealand, COVID-19 crisis, COVAX, WHO, ASEAN, Sinovac, Laos, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Donald Trump, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), ‘debt trap’ diplomacy, Asian Development Bank, Nauru, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Philippines, Vietnam, Philippine Coast Guards (PCG), Joko Widodo, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Natuna archipelago, Natuna Islands, USA

South China Sea: An environmental tragedy of the commons

Written by Sabrina Moles

Tensions in the South China Sea are creating a dangerous, competitive pattern in the relations among the countries involved. Sovereignty claims, together with the urgent demand for food, energy resources, and profits are all defining a set of priorities that are increasingly disregarding environmental damage.

Faultlines9DLDecember 7, 20229DashLine, South China Sea: an environmental tragedy of the commons, Sabrina Moles, Philippines, Permanent Court of Arbitration, China, Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, Beijing, sovereignty, maritime claims, South China Sea, nine-dash line, Chinese islands, Manila, environmental degradation, military activities, territorial disputes, fish scarcity, energy demands, Climate Change, pollution, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, SCS, economic interests, intense fishing, Brunei, Cambodia, indonesia, malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, thailand, vietnam, fishing industry, IUU fishing, Illegal, unregulated, and unreported, FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization, UN, IUU fishing index, fish stocks, fishing vessels, exclusive economic zone, EEZ, Vietnamese fishing vessels, Chinese ships, fishermen, maritime NGOs, cyanide, Dr Wilfredo Y. Licuanan, Automatic Identification System, AIS, Milko Mariano Schvartzman, maritime energy nationalism, US Energy Information Agency, Southeast Asia, Center for Naval Analyses, China-Vietnam, maritime law enforcement agencies, marine traffic, oil and gas drilling, offshore oil rigs, US Energy Information Administration, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, Scarborough Shoal, UN Ocean Conference, WTO, James Borton

What is Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour about?

Written by Bec Strating

The IPE constitutes a form of ‘normative seapower’ through efforts to exert influence and shape perceptions within the crowded maritime marketplace of norms, ideas, and narratives.

Pacific9DLNovember 22, 20229DashLine, Bec Strating, What is Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour about?, Australian Defence Force (ADF), Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE), military, armed forces, navy, civilians, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, 2016 Defence White Paper, regional security partner, floating diplomacy, hard power, capabilities, soft power, IPE 2021, IPE 2019, COVID-19 pandemic, IPE 2020, regional defence diplomacy, Australia, normative seapower, interoperability, Asia, Pacific, HMAS Canberra, Straits of Malacca, Port Klang, fleet, Patong Beach, Phuket, Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD), HMAS Adelaide, Royal Australian Navy, HMAS ANZAC, frigate, Sembawang Naval Base, flotilla, gunboat diplomacy, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)., AUSINDEX maritime exercise, Delhi, Indian Navy, Malabar exercises, Department of Defence, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, air force, army, Defence Strategic Review, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs), United States

China, transnational organised crime, and Southeast Asia’s SEZs — is this Quid pro quo?

Written by Marco Neveu and Charlie Thame

Xi’s anti-corruption projects in the mainland seem to have sparked a degree of outward mobility by the triads from the authoritarian domestic core towards the more liminal and experimental periphery of Chinese influence.

Faultlines9DLNovember 11, 20229DashLine, China, transnational organised crime, and Southeast Asia’s SEZs: Quid pro quo?, Marco Neveu, Charlie Thame, crime, Southeast Asia, Radio Free Asia, Laos, Malaysian workers, Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ), enclave, Laotian, Chinese, Hong Kong, Kings Roman Group, torture, slavery, Sexual Slavery, online scam, Special Economic Zone, ASEAN, organised crime, transnational organised criminal (TOC), UNODC, global supply chains, trafficking, human trafficking, corruption, Thai, Thailand, neo-colonialist, exploitation, Sexual exploitation, economic development, FDI, Xi Jinping, authoritarian, Cold War, Truman administration, United Nations, UN, Bretton Woods institutions, Asian Development Bank, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Sihanoukville SEZ, Sihanoukville, Cambodia, scam, China’s Ministry of Commerce, Overseas Trade and Cooperation, Myanmar, Belt and Road Initiative, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), state-owned enterprises, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), triad, triads, Han nationalist, secret societies, Qing dynasty, Kuomintang (KMT), Bamboo Union, Chang An-lo, Taiwan, anti-corruption campaign, gangs, spies, Intelligence, patriotism, Americas, Beijing, Chang An-lo (“White Wolf”), Wan Kuok-koi (“Broken Tooth”), Zhao Wei, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, diplomacy, police, crime syndicate, Hun Sen, APEC 2022 forum, APEC

In Brief: Perle Petit and Philip Lott, our new assistant editors

With a busy summer already behind them, our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Manali Kumar recently took the opportunity to learn more about their interests and their early thoughts on what makes a strong article.

In Brief9DLNovember 3, 20229DashLine, In Brief: Perle Petit and Philip Lott, our new assistant editors, Perle Petit, Philip Lott, democratic backsliding, authoritarianism, press freedom, freedom of the press, media freedom, Southeast Asia, democratic standards, independent media, journalists, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, The Philippines, elections, technologies, artificial intelligence, Indo-Pacific, digital transformation, social media, semiconductors, semiconductor supply chains, Pakistan, South Asia, separatist movements, Balochistan, US drone war, Kashmir conflict, Russia-Ukraine war, climate change, droughts, floods, health crisis, disinformation, Thailand, 'information chaos', foreign interference, propaganda, opposition parties, illiberal governments, opposition coalitions, city diplomacy, urban development, innovation hubs, population density, climate change mitigation

Death penalty in Southeast Asia: Disturbing trends

Written by Susannah Patton

The mixed picture for the death penalty in Southeast Asia, especially in countries where the death penalty is being actively debated, such as Malaysia, suggests that further advocacy by Australia and other like-minded countries would be timely.

Editor's Picks9DLOctober 19, 20229DashLine, Susannah Patton, Death penalty in Southeast Asia: Disturbing trends, Lowy Institute, death penalty, Southeast Asia, myanmar, Junta, Myanmar's junta, Myanmar Junta, execution, Phyo Zayar Thaw, Ko Jimmy, political prisoners, Frontier Myanmar, Cambodia, abolitionist, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Amnesty International, death sentence, COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19, Singapore, UN, United Nations, ethnic minorities, justice, Capital Punishment Justice Project, drug, drugs, War on drugs, War on Drugs, Vietnam, prison, international scrutiny, Thailand, de facto abolitionist, Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Malaysia, Pakatan Harapan government, Pakatan Harapan, Philippine President Duterte, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, indonesia, civil society groups, court, Indonesia’s draft criminal code, criminal, probation, 2017 Universal Periodic Review by the UN Human Rights Council, UN Human Rights Council, Australia, European Union, EU, Australia’s new Labor government

Campaigns, criminalisation and concessions: Indigenous land rights in Cambodia

Written by Bunly Soeung

In Cambodia, the violation of the land rights of indigenous peoples who have lived for thousands of years in their ancestral forests continues unabated.

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Six months on: Cambodia as ASEAN chair

Written by Kimkong Heng

Although there is speculation that US President Joe Biden will attend the East Asia Summit, will he be willing to sit for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin or his substitute? Cambodia will have to balance multiple pressures while hosting these high-level meetings.

Marcos Jr.’s Philippine foreign policy: What it means for the Indo-Pacific

Written by Joshua Bernard Espeña

It is unlikely that Manila will join Washington in balancing against Beijing — Marcos Jr has already made this clear. Neither will the country bandwagon with Beijing given domestic pressures driven by fears over creeping Chinese influence.

Pacific9DLMay 13, 2022Marcos Jr.’s Philippine foreign policy: What it means for the Indo-Pacific, Joshua Bernard Espeña, Philippines, China, United States, US, Bongbong, Marcos Jr, Indo-Pacific, South China Sea, Cold War, Filipino, Rodrigo Duterte, Manila, Washington, Philippinedisation, Solomon Islands, Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Taiwan, Quad, Australia, AUKUS, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, Build Back Better World, Beijing, 2016 arbitral ruling, Association of the Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Code of Conduct, COC, ASEAN-China Code of Conduct, Chinese Coast Guard, International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, COLREGS, COVID-19, pandemic, Debt Trap, Sri Lanka, Hambantota Port, Ned Price, US State Department, Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, EDCA, People’s Liberation Army-Navy, International Development Security Cooperation, Rise of Philippinedization: Philippinedization