blackbox

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.

Malaysia’s Third Covid-19 Wave

President of the Sabah Heritage Party Shafie Apdal votes during state elections in Semporna, a town in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island, on September 26, 2020. The Sabah snap election was the origin of Malaysia’s third and largest wave of Covid-19 infections. (Photo: AFP)

Malaysia is suffering from its longest, highest and most politically fraught surge in Covid-19 infections.

China’s New Coast Guard Law: Illegal and Escalatory

A Philippine coast guard ship (R) sails past a Chinese coastguard ship during an joint search and rescue exercise between Philippine and US coastguards near Scarborough shoal, in the South China Sea, on 14 May, 2019. (Photo: Ted ALJIBE/ AFP)

A new Chinese law, which gives its coast guard legal cover to fire on foreign vessels in contested waters, is worrying. States interested in the peace and stability of the South China Sea should do something about it.

America, China and Southeast Asia: Where “Win Win” Can Become a Reality

Then US Vice President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping display shirts with a message given to them by students at the International Studies Learning School in Southgate, outside of Los Angeles, on 17, February, 2012. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN/ AFP)

If China and the United States play their cards right, the two powers can avoid a hot or cold war. This will be good news for the world, in particular Southeast Asia.

President Joko Widodo’s Image Problems

Students cover their faces with Indonesian President Joko Widodo during a demonstration against a controversial new law passed last week which critics fear will favour investors at the expense of labour rights and the environment in Banda Aceh on October 14, 2020. (Photo by Chaideer MAHYUDDIN/ AFP)

The opposition’s weakness means that the Indonesian president’s recent problems carry few political costs – for the moment.

Japan’s Diplomatic Note on the South China Sea: Internationalising the Dispute Amid Chinese Pressure

Royal Australian Navy, Republic of Korea Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and United States Navy warships sail in formation during the Pacific Vanguard 2020 exercise.

Japan’s latest note verbale to the United Nations on the South China Sea was done out of its national interest. Nonetheless, it shows that Tokyo – and a growing coalition of countries – are digging in their heels to uphold the aegis of international law in the region.

China-US Competition: Southeast Asia Can Decide What’s Best

Southeast Asian countries prefer a healthy balance of power between major powers in the region. This is often overlooked by China and the United States, which want them to take a stand on issues of concern.

Myanmar May See More Violence After the Polls

There is a heightened risk of violence after the national polls this Sunday. This stems from two structural factors: inter-party clashes and the problems in Rakhine state.