Articles

7 Oct 2021

Nominees and ‘Backyard Companies’: How Vietnamese Officials Conceal Their Illicit Wealth

Le Hong Hiep

Not a single Vietnamese leader or official has been named in the Pandora Papers, which has shed light on global leaders squirrelling their wealth away from the eyes of the taxman. As the saying goes, the absence of evidence does not necessarily mean the evidence of absence.

Corruption Crime Vietnam

6 Oct 2021

Jokowi’s Shrinking Opposition: Smoothening the Path to Constitutional Amendments

Made Supriatma

PAN’s entry into Jokowi’s ruling coalition has cemented the President’s strong grip over Indonesia’s legislative assemblies and could make passing constitutional amendments even easier.

Indonesia Indonesian Politics

5 Oct 2021

Twenty Years On: Reflections on The Aftermath of 9/11 and The New Era of Geo-Politics

Daljit Singh

Twenty years after the historic 9/11 attacks on the United States, the threat of terrorism has largely been contained and a new era of great power competition has returned. States in Southeast Asia need to have a deep appreciation of what drives China and the US in order to maintain agency amid geopolitical flux.

China-U.S. Relations Southeast Asia U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy

5 Oct 2021

Idris Ahmad: Not Your Ordinary Religious Affairs Minister

Mohd Faizal Musa

The appointment of PAS ideologue Idris Ahmad as Malaysia’s new religious affairs minister provides the Islamist party significant latitude to advance its ideological agenda.

Islam Islamic State Malaysia Malaysian Politics

4 Oct 2021

The Delta Variant and Border Closures: A Rethink is Overdue

Jayant Menon

The highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus should lead to a rethink about border closures in Southeast Asia.

ASEAN COVID-19 Open Borders Tourism

4 Oct 2021

Malaysia Goes Carbon Neutral, But With a Catch

Ryan Wong

Malaysia’s new target is more ambitious than any other target set by a Southeast Asian country so far. But the qualifier is achievement by 2050 ‘at the earliest’.

Climate Change Environment Malaysia Sustainable Development

1 Oct 2021

Vietnam and Japan Partners Amid Superpower Rivalry

Mateusz Chatys

If two recent high-level visits by China and Japan to Vietnam are of any indication, Tokyo appears to have gained the upper hand over Beijing when it comes to courting one of Southeast Asia’s most important players.

China-Vietnam Relations U.S.-Vietnam Relations Vietnam

30 Sep 2021

Attack on Ahmadiyya Mosque in Sintang: An Agony for Humanity

Ahalla Tsauro|Aninda Dewayanti

The minority Ahmadiyya sect has been much aligned for its purportedly ‘deviant’ beliefs. More should be done to address such unfounded conceptions, and provide a safer environment for the sect’s followers in the public sphere.

Indonesia Religion Religious Intolerance