Wahyudi Akmaliah|Ahmad Najib Burhani
Covid-19 has forced various Muslim groups to adopt digital platforms in their religious activities. Controversy, however, abounds regarding the online version of the Friday Prayer. In Islamic law, this ritual is wajib (mandatory) for male Muslims.
Shad Saleem Faruqi
The recent heightened tensions between the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Prime Minister Muhyidddin Yassin’s Cabinet have put the spotlight on whether the Constitution allows the King to exercise discretionary powers, apart from acting on the advice of Cabinet.
Hoang Thi Ha
The Biden Administration has gone big guns on promoting its values-based democracy agenda in the Indo-Pacific. It is time for a rethink.
Ian Storey
For a country that was first off the blocks, Russia has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with China and the United States in the game of vaccine diplomacy
Quinton Temby
A social media analysis of Indonesian salafi-jihadi and opposition Islamist chat groups indicates early but significant signs of crosspollination between both communities. As continuing government crackdowns drive both the violent jihadi and Islamist opposition groups into the virtual underground, there is a risk that the resultant crosspollination of both groups could push non-violent opposition activists into violent extremism.
Khoo Boo Teik
Malaysia’s Umno has continued on its downward slide. In the culmination, this might well prove to be the revenge of Reformasi that begun as a popular revolt against the party more than two decades ago.
Phi Minh Hong
The Covid-19 pandemic has had manifold impacts on the poor in ASEAN member states. Upping vaccination rates will go a long way.
William Choong|Hoang Thi Ha|Le Hong Hiep|Ian Storey
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to three Southeast Asian countries in July 2021 was aimed at reaffirming America’s commitment to regional alliances and partnerships amid concerns of US neglect of the region in the first six months of the Biden administration.
Ryan Wong
ASEAN’s Energy Plan is an empty fortress – dejected and under-delivered. But if done right, the region can turn a corner and do more to harness the power of renewables.
Tuan Ho
At the beginning of 2021, Vietnam was looking forward to a “breakout moment”, with its hitherto successful containment of the coronavirus expected to facilitate strong economic recovery. However, the country now appears to be missing this opportunity due to the ongoing fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.