Anwar’s ASEAN: A peaceful future at risk
Malaysia PM Anwar's appointment of Cambodia’s former prime minister Hun Sen and Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra suggests there is a disconnect between his…
OPINION
China’s AI quantum leap: The dawn of a new AI order
China’S DeepSeek is upending the AGI race with minimal infrastructure and cost.
Reforms vs election: A distracting debate
Free and fair elections are the only effective mechanism to make political leaders accountable. It can be said that it did not work effectively in the past. With the proposed…
Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Trump 2.0
US President Donald Trump hates US trade deficits, loves US tariffs and is mostly indifferent, if not hostile, toward multilateral arrangements including ASEAN.
Philippine senatorial choices: Popularity over capability
It is increasingly apparent that celebrity culture is infiltrating governance, where legitimate lawmaking is overshadowed by the mere pursuit of votes founded upon name…
Trump 2.0 set to repeat history of unpredictability
Generally, two possible diplomatic approaches to dealing with unpredictability are minimising it and making oneself unpredictable.
Young people reject polarisation
Younger generations’ growing rejection for political polarisation in older generations is what is moving the polls. They want Mr. Yoon out, but are wary of Lee Jae-myung. They…
Police brutality: A repressive pattern that refuses to end
Rather than engaging in dialogue or addressing public concerns, the government often resorts to heavy-handed tactics to quell dissent, as seen in the treatment of independent…
Fake truth for deniers
If left unchecked, fake truths will continue to corrode the foundations of democracy.
Worrying that Trump’s choice for Defence Secretary struggled to name ASEAN countries
It is no surprise that a top member of the Trump administration, like Hegseth, faces concerns, as there have been worries that the boss himself may not be keen on Southeast Asia.