Aninda Dewayanti|Muhammad Fajar
Environmental activism remains a cottage industry for the youth who champion Earth’s cause in Indonesia. Besides financial pull, they will need organisational evolution before any significant green movement can break the cosy ties between state and dirty business.
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.
Julia Lau|Maria Monica Wihardja
In Indonesia’s presidential election in February, candidates’ failure to distinguish themselves in persona and policies hurt their campaigns.
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 Thanh Giang|Nguyen Khac Giang
The passing of Nguyen Phu Trong leaves Vietnam short of ideological cover to pursue the country’s policies.
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.
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.
Joanne Lin|Sharon Seah
Laos, the current chair of ASEAN, has found that it has to grapple with increasingly contentious geopolitical issues.
Pradana Boy Zulian
Allowing Salafi elements to join Muhammadiyah has proven a double-edged sword for Indonesia’s second-largest mass Muslim organisation.
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.