blackbox

Will China Exploit America’s Domestic Distractions for Strategic Gains in Asia?

The India-China land border, more than the South China Sea, is the regional flashpoint that could flare.

South Korea‘s Southeast Asian Potential

South Korea is well-positioned to become a more important power for Southeast Asia and ASEAN.

The 2020 Regional Elections in Indonesia: The Use and Abuse of Religion

Indonesia has laws that seek to deter the politicisation of religion. This will prove to be challenging, especially with the regional elections round the corner.

Prime Minister Suga Goes to Jakarta

Prime Minister Suga’s first trip shows that an “independent and active” Indonesia is not an easy partner for Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy.

Hope Over Fear: The 2020 Student-led Protests in Thailand

Similar goals link the current protests in Thailand with earlier ones. Their different tactics make them harder for authorities to quell.

Vietnam’s Ambitious Politicians: In Facebook We Trust

Facebook poses a challenge to American lawmakers seeking to rein it in. In authoritarian countries such as Vietnam, however, the social media giant has become a handy accomplice and even a springboard for ambitious politicians.

Desperation Debases Democracy in Malaysia

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has not got the emergency powers he had asked for. His government has lived to fight another day. Still, the constant horse-trading and bickering among the country’s political class has only subverted the country’s democracy.