blackbox

Ditching Malaysia’s Bumiputera System: Three Utopian Scenarios To Consider

Workers push boxes of vegetables for sale at a wholesale market in Kuala Lumpur on 15 June, 2020, as sectors of the economy are being reopened following restrictions to halt the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. (Photo: Mohd RASFAN/ AFP)

A cold hard look at ways of departing from Malaysia’s long-held Bumiputera system throws up three scenarios, one of which is persuasive.

The Coup in Myanmar: ASEAN Is Not Without Options

Medical staff make a three finger salute with red ribbons on their uniforms at the Yangon General Hospital in Yangon on February 3, 2021 as calls for a civil disobedience gather pace following a military coup detaining civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (Photo: STR/ AFP)

If ASEAN is serious about upholding the principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, there are ways to help guide Myanmar back toward the path of democratisation.

Myanmar’s State of Emergency: Damn the Torpedoes

Soldiers stand guard on a blockaded road to Myanmar's parliament in Naypyidaw on 1 February, 2021, after the military detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country's president in a coup. (Photo: STR/ AFP)

The Tatmadaw’s seizure of power in Myanmar will wind back Myanmar’s nascent democracy several decades. The costs to the country are incalculable.

Cambodia’s Battle Against the Covid-19 Pandemic: Not a Matter of Luck

Cambodian soldiers carry aid including medical equipment from China, to be used to combat the spread of the Cvoid-19 coronavirus on 25 April, 2020. (Photo: Tang Chhin SOTHY/ AFP)

Cambodia has done relatively well in its battle against the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to leadership, targeted measures, and rapid crisis response.

Inoculating Against Covid-19 Nationalism in Southeast Asia

A member of parliament receives a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at the Parliament building in Naypyidaw on 29 January, 2021. (Photo: STR/ AFP)

Southeast Asia has not been spared the effects of Covid-19 nationalism. ASEAN member countries can do more to combat vaccine nationalism and hesitancy in the region.

A “Green” Solution to Financing Sustainable Energy in Myanmar

Photo of a utility pole in Myanmar, on 12 December, 2016. Myanmar’s current lack of a reliable electricity source is a hurdle to the economic growth that it needs. (Photo: Claire BACKHOUSE/ Flickr)

Myanmar is in dire need of financing solutions to build its electricity grid and power its economic growth. “Green bonds” might well be the answer.

The Philippine-US Alliance: Keeping Things on an Even Keel

US President Donald Trump (L) speaks with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte during a special gala celebration dinner for the Associate of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manilla on 12 November, 2017. The Philippines and US enjoyed warm bilateral relations when Trump was in office, but the 70-year old alliance may be tested with the new Biden administration. (Photo: Athit PERAWONGMETHA/ POOL/ AFP)

Given the challenges posed by an assertive China and a changing geopolitical environment, Manila and Washington must work hard to sustain their decades-old alliance.

The US Coast Guard and the Indo-Pacific: Straddling the Sweet Spot between Diplomacy and Lethality

Sailors on a Mark VI patrol boat break away from the US Coast Guard cutter USCGC Oliver Henry during an integrated towing exercise in the Philippine Sea on 16 December, 2020. (Photo: Cole C. PIELOP via US Indo-Pacific Command/ Flickr)

The United States has added the US Coast Guard to its South China Sea toolbox. This bodes well for regional security and the maritime rules-based order.

Vietnam’s Leadership Reshuffles: Breaking from Established Conventions

Security forces drive past a billboard for the Communist Party of Vietnam's (CPV) 13th National Congress outside the National Convention Centre in Hanoi on 26 January, 2021. The CPV’s 13th National Congress, which will conclude on 2 February 2021, could see a break in established traditions of the Party. (Photo: Nhac NGUYEN/ AFP)

Vietnam’s 13th National Congress may turn out to be the most memorable in terms of the number of established conventions that are overturned.

Singapore in the Eyes of the Chinese: Amity and Likability

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (L) shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping (R) before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 29, 2019. (Photo by MADOKA IKEGAMI / POOL / AFP)

A recent survey shows that Chinese people are much more favourably disposed towards Singapore than other rich nations such as Australia, Japan and the United States.