Gloria Lin
Southeast Asia has the chance to participate in rare earth element (REE) supply chain diversification. The region must be strategic and cautious to exploit its REE reserves while avoiding the industry’s perils.
Amrita Malhi
After the Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) “Green Wave” of 2022-23, a wide range of Malaysian political actors believed that Anwar Ibrahim’s Madani federal government would not act to counter its narratives. Instead, Anwar’s forces have signalled that they would only check PAS using “administrative” tactics, and only in selected battles and arenas. As a result, PAS holds the narrative advantage. It is free to experiment and is ramping up its use of new and existing cultural assets to burnish its messages.
Najwa Abdullah
Apart from his political legacy, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan might have left a lasting policy and bureaucratic impact on how Jakarta develops as an urban city, quite apart from its identity as the nation’s capital, which it is about to shed.
Juthathip Jongwanich|Archanun Kohpaiboon
Thailand has ambitious plans to upgrade its semiconductor sector. There are challenges ahead, however, which require good governance and oversight.
The State of Southeast Asia Survey 2025
Melinda Martinus
Southeast Asians welcome a strengthening of ASEAN’s political and economic influence, which has relatively declined in the past year. ASEAN must adapt and assert itself to restore confidence.
Burhanuddin Muhtadi
The series of student and civil society protests across Indonesia and some recent surveys reveal a middle class for which all is not well.
Mara Yue Du
Xi Jinping’s vision for the “Great Rejuvenation of the Pan-Chinese Nation” and “China Dream” emphasises a shared ancestry and cultural identity among ethnic Chinese, both within China and abroad. Through “united front work,” the People’s Republic of China (PRC) thus seeks to unite “Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad” under a common civilisational narrative. Despite its rhetoric of unity and shared heritage, however, the PRC offers limited legal and political protection to overseas Chinese.
Jared Bissinger
Myanmar’s violations of its international economic obligations contribute to inflation and increasingly impoverish the country’s population. They also threaten to diminish the impact of financial assistance for Myanmar’s recent earthquake.
The State of Southeast Asia Survey 2025
Kristina Fong Siew Leng
Against a more uncertain global economic backdrop, the European Union and ASEAN face greater urgency to strengthen economic engagement and strategic partnerships.
The State of Southeast Asia Survey 2025
Sharon Seah|Eugene R.L. Tan
Despite some apprehension about its actions, Beijing continues to retain considerable weight among Southeast Asian elites. This should improve if China learns to temper its assertiveness, particularly in the South China Sea.