Thailand’s Defence Budget in 2024-2025: Appeasing the Military?
Paul Chambers
The Pheu Thai-led government has allowed defence expenditure to creep upwards despite fiscal pressures. This is a clever ploy to keep the country’s generals onside.
Articles
Indonesia’s 2024 Presidential Election: How Political Personas and Policy Platforms Influenced Swing Voters
Julia Lau|Maria Monica Wihardja
In Indonesia’s presidential election in February, candidates’ failure to distinguish themselves in persona and policies hurt their campaigns.
Regional Responses to China’s Community of Shared Future for Mankind
Hafiizh Hashim|Lye Liang Fook|Souliya Mounnarath|Nguyen Khac Giang|Yohanes Sulaiman|Aletheia Kerygma B. Valenciano
In March 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the concept of building a “community with a shared future for mankind” as a central tenet of his “Thought on Diplomacy” with Chinese characteristics. This ambitious vision encompasses more recent programmes such as the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI), and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). To date, seven ASEAN countries, excluding Singapore, Brunei, and the Philippines, have endorsed the initiative.
Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnam: The Loss of Ideological Cover
Nguyen Thanh Giang|Nguyen Khac Giang
The passing of Nguyen Phu Trong leaves Vietnam short of ideological cover to pursue the country’s policies.
Sarawak’s Green Hydrogen Ambitions: What It Means for Southeast Asia
Christopher Len
As the frontrunner for green hydrogen projects in Southeast Asia, Sarawak’s success or failure in the next two years will serve as a bellwether for Malaysia’s hydrogen economy goals, ASEAN’s hydrogen future and global clean hydrogen demand.
Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement: Part of a Bigger Puzzle
Aries A. Arugay
William Choong, Fulcrum’s Managing Editor and ISEAS Senior Fellow, discusses the recent Japan-Philippines reciprocal access agreement with Dr Aries Arugay, the coordinator of the institute’s Philippines Studies Programme, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
ASEAN’s Unity Under the Microscope
Joanne Lin|Sharon Seah
Laos, the current chair of ASEAN, has found that it has to grapple with increasingly contentious geopolitical issues.
Tackling the Threat of Salafism Within: Muhammadiyah Leaders Need to Be Bolder
Pradana Boy Zulian
Allowing Salafi elements to join Muhammadiyah has proven a double-edged sword for Indonesia’s second-largest mass Muslim organisation.
Myanmar’s Economy Deeper in the Mire
Romain Caillaud
The State Administration Council’s coercive and controlling approach to the economy does not bode well for Myanmar’s mid- to long-term prospects.
Southeast Asian Perceptions of China: Beijing’s Growing Power is Recognised, but Feared
Lee Sue-Ann|William Choong
Data from a multi-year trend analysis of Southeast Asian perceptions of China suggest that the region remains apprehensive about China’s growing power and influence. Yet in the face of greater uncertainty over the future of the United States’ leadership role in the region, the preference has been to try to keep the peace with China.