Written by Hunter Marston
Japan has emerged as a critical partner of choice for Southeast Asian countries, particularly in its efforts to build maritime and coast guard capacity for frontline states in the South China Sea, including the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
Read MoreWritten by Melissa Conley Tyler
Whether it is helping link civil society organisations or stimulating Australian business to wake up to opportunities in the region, the Australian government will need to engage many tools of statecraft to achieve its strategic goal of deep partnerships with Southeast Asia.
Read MoreWritten by Chris Fitzgerald
Maria Ressa’s acquittal is not only a rare victory for press freedom, but it offers the Philippines a chance to distance itself from the brutal regime of the former President, Rodrigo Duterte.
Read MoreWritten by Julian Neuweiler and Patrick Triglavcanin
Continuing efforts in transparency are also important. A formal mechanism for communication should be established between AUKUS members and Southeast Asia.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Walid Jumblatt Abdullah
Will the presidential election results translate into the general elections in 2025? Probably not, since Tharman is indeed an exception. But the ruling PAP can take heart from the results for reasons already mentioned.
Read MoreWritten by Hunter Marston
As US-China rivalry hardens, becoming more zero-sum, and China continues to challenge the territorial sovereignty of maritime Southeast Asian states, it will become increasingly difficult to sustain such hedging policies.
Read MoreWritten by Aniello Iannone, Laure Siegel, Gabriel Facal, Ida Fagervold, and Nicha Wachpanich
Even in countries with democratic systems, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, the religious-political context slows down the LGBTQ+ inclusion process.
Read MoreWritten by Dr Apila Sangtam
The differing stances on the legal nature of the COC and China's assertive actions in contested waters pose significant obstacles to reaching a comprehensive and effective agreement.
Read MoreWritten by Joanne Lin
Statistics have shown that although China has a significant degree of influence over Laos, it is certainly not controlling the country.
Read MoreWritten by Napon Jatusripitak and Ken Mathis Lohatepanont
While Thai voters can influence the parties’ relative electoral performance, voters’ preferences may not be reflected in the post-election coalition configurations.
Read MoreWritten by Ken Mathis Lohatepanont
The blurring of the lines between the government and the opposition means that voters may very well end up with a government that straddles Thailand’s traditional divides.
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreWritten by Hunter Marston
Western aid is far away and will remain hostage to both Myanmar’s immediate neighbours, with whom they must coordinate, and broader concerns about security on the European continent, where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will grip Western leaders’ attention for the foreseeable future.
Read MoreWritten 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.
Read MoreWritten by Jefferson Ng
The Makassar Strait is likely to grow in prominence as Indonesia’s new capital emerges as a centre of economic activity alongside Jakarta, and defence policymakers in Indonesia will want to better control the flow of maritime traffic passing through the Strait.
Read MoreWritten by Joy Joy
Most importantly, ASEAN and the international community must recognise that the future of Myanmar belongs to its people. They must listen to the voices of the Burmese people and their democratically-elected representatives while making meaningful engagements to help resolve the crisis.
Read MoreWritten by Frances Mangosing
The way things are going, we can expect Duterte to ramp up nationalist rhetoric over the next few months to gather voter support for his chosen successor. We have seen this game before.
Read MoreWritten by Kalvin Fung
ASEAN members such as Indonesia might find themselves mired in a quagmire: recognising a regime lambasted for its terrible human rights record might save ASEAN unity but could draw further condemnation from the West and international media; rejecting the junta might jeopardise regional unity and delay the long-awaited COC.
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