This commentary draws on the perspectives of 242 respondents from Singapore who participated in the State of Southeast Asia 2025 Survey.
Author Archives: chahaewon
Malaysia’s DAP in the Post-Lim Era: Fighting Demographic Realities
Malaysia’s Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party has made inroads as a multi-racial political party. But demographic and political realities will conscribe progress.
Growing or Shrinking? How Indonesia’s Middle Class is Really Doing
We must get Indonesia’s middle-class narrative right to devise appropriate policy responses. While some argue that the middle class has grown, the evidence tells a more sobering story.
Grey Chinese Trend on Thai TikTok: From Criminal Networks to Digital Aesthetic
In Thailand, TikTok users have turned the depiction of illicit activity by Chinese nationals into a stylised narrative where aesthetics and humour intertwine.
The Politics of Lanna Identity and the Restoration of Ethnic Thai Dishes
The Thai state has tried to use food hegemony to control cultural narratives but the sheer diversity of local cuisine is putting a brake on it.
Shaping Indonesia’s Democracy: Youth Alight Amidst #DarkIndonesia
Indonesia’s youth protests today call to mind past cases of student activism in the quarter century of post-reform democracy since the fall of Suharto. Will history repeat itself?
The Rules-based Order: In Dire Straits, But Not Dead
As the US steps away from the rules-based order it helped create, smaller countries need to step up to the plate to maintain it.
Thailand’s Unreliability as Broker Makes Peace Even More Elusive in Myanmar
Thailand’s efforts to mediate the peace in Myanmar are complicated by the kingdom’s extensive interests in the country.
Musk, Myanmar, and the Murky Future of Internet Freedom
Myanmar resistance groups depend on Starlink to circumvent government controls. But this can also be its Achilles heel.
Indonesia’s Probable Foreign Policy Shift from the West under a Prabowo Administration
Under Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia is expected to further distance itself from traditional Western alliances — a trend initiated during Jokowi’s administration — by prioritising partnerships within Asia, particularly with China for trade and investment, and strengthening regional cooperation through ASEAN and BRICS.