Sino-US Action Against Drugs Keeps Functional Cooperation High
Zha Daojiong
China and the US have been working together to combat illicit drug activities. This will have a significant impact on Southeast Asia.
Articles
Light Footprint, Strong Signal: Rethinking US-Cambodian Cooperation
Pou Sothirak|A. Peyson Hunt
There is a window of opportunity for Cambodia to re-engage with the US. Bilateral military exercises constitute a good option.
How Small States Can Survive Big Changes: Laos, Mekong and ASEAN in the Age of Might Makes Right
Anoulak Kittikhoun
“Might makes right” is back in form with major powers’ use of tariffs and military actions, leaving small states like Laos with fewer buffers and narrower margins for error than more capable middle powers. This Long Read explores options and imperatives for Laos as it navigates new geopolitical realities.
China and the US: Who Will Better Understand Southeast Asia?
Zenobia Chan
The US appears to be losing to China in the race to understand Southeast Asia. The real test, however, centres on whether a country can sustain the institutions to study the region critically.
Indonesia’s Resource Nationalism Is Testing Its Relationship with China
Siwage Dharma Negara|Leo Suryadinata
The interests of Chinese investors and the Prabowo administration are increasingly misaligned.
Unleashing Officials, Unlocking Funds: PM Le Minh Hung Confronts Vietnam’s Economic Challenges
Tuan Ho
Vietnam’s new prime minister needs to disburse idle public funds. His previous role helming the Communist Party’s personnel system should help him galvanise officials who prioritise an overly cautious approach over rapid progress.
To Lam’s Regional Tour: From Hedger to Shaper
Nguyen Khac Giang
To Lam’s regional tour of Southeast Asia shows that Hanoi is shifting to a posture of shaping the rules of the game, rather than merely seeking to mitigate the risks of a fluid strategic environment.
No Longer Poor: Can Laos be Clean, Green and Great?
Anoulak Kittikhoun
Anoulak Kittikhoun argues that as Laos prepares to graduate from the United Nations’ least developed country category, the bigger challenge is no longer escaping poverty but building a future defined by clean space and green growth.
The Myanmar Military’s “New” Narrative: Caveat Emptor
Billy Ford
The new Myanmar regime’s narrative about promoting stability and strengthening international relations belies the instability and devastation its coup unleashed on the country.
Southeast Asia’s High-Income Aspirants Should Focus on Quality of Growth
Vinod Thomas
The vast minority of middle-income countries graduate to high-income status. Past strategies that prioritised physical capital must give way to a quality of growth approach premised on investment in human and natural capital.