Tita Sanglee
The border confrontation between Thailand and Cambodia stems from the former's failure to deter the latter. There is a resolve gap on the part of the Thai elite; in addition, the lack of resolve stems from structural pressures such as the imperative of a limited war and Thailand's long borders. Changing these entrenched structures will be difficult, if not impossible.
Joanne Lin|Moe Thuzar
ASEAN needs to march to the tune of its own drummer and insist that Myanmar’s ruling regime toes the line, sham elections or not.
Pongkwan Sawasdipakdi
The Constitutional Court’s ruling against a former Thai premier will constrain how conciliatory the kingdom will be in times of conflict.
Lee Hwok-Aun|Adib Zalkapli
Pakatan Harapan’s poor performance at the Sabah state elections has weakened its bargaining power vis-à-vis ruling coalitions in Sabah and Sarawak. It will need their support to form the next federal government.
Amalina Anuar
Malaysia is re-considering the use of nuclear power. But the government will need to tackle questions about trade-offs.
Tham Siew Yean
The ABE initiative professes to promote regional economic integration via greater intra-ASEAN investments, but ASEAN should focus on attracting high-quality investment, enhancing industrial upgrading, and mitigating geopolitical risk.
Joanne Lin|Jasmine Yeo
Joanne Lin and Jasmine Yeo show how insights from two major regional surveys in 2025 capture the forces shaping ASEAN’s confidence in a year of shifting global winds.
Mirza Sadaqat Huda
As Southeast Asia focuses on building the ASEAN Power Grid, there will be a higher chance of success if interconnections are designed to be modular and embedded within a broader regional integration agenda.
Romora Edward Sitorus|A. Prasetyantoko
Indonesia’s first high-speed train project is historic but its government now has to prevent it going off the rails as costs spiral and boomerang onto the state and taxpayers.
Syaza Shukri
Malaysia has successfully transformed halal governance from religious compliance into a strategic tool of soft power. Through the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC), halal became both a moral brand and an economic driver across food, finance, tourism, cosmetics, and logistics.