Poor advice and a seeming refusal to acknowledge the reality and scale of the problem have hampered the Indonesian president’s response to the disastrous floods across Sumatra.
Author Archives: blackbox
Sabah First? 2025 State Election Shows Voters Want Results Not Slogans
The 17th Sabah elections evinced a mix of the predictable and the surprising. Despite the show of support for the ‘Sabah First’ slogan, the fragmented politics of the state will continue.
Building BRICS? Anwar’s Worldview and Malaysia’s Foreign Policy
Malaysia’s decision to join BRICS demonstrates its long-standing adherence to strategic equidistance. It also bears Anwar Ibrahim’s personal imprimatur.
Flood Control in the Philippines: When Corruption Bedevils Climate Change Mitigation
The fact that the Philippines requires flood control measures is beyond dispute. But the problem goes far deeper.
Momentum or Mirage? Anutin’s Risky Road to Re-Election
Anutin Charnvirakul’s recent dissolution of the Thai Parliament is a tactical move to preserve incumbency advantages going into elections next year. Still, he might end up with an unwieldy “grand compromise” coalition that will give him little wiggle room.
Rebalancing Indonesia’s Trade Policy: After Prabowo’s First Year
Indonesia has its work cut out for it given tough headwinds in global trade, but the present government’s attempts to tack its sails may give the country a chance to move in the right direction.
Reconstructing Indonesia’s Pesantren: Moving Beyond Concrete Matters
Tragedies like the collapse of an Islamic boarding school in mid-September in West Java require nuanced solutions and hard soul-searching. Hope and inspiration may come from within the country, indeed, within the same province.
Economic Gravity: The Rise of Asian Cities’ Powerhouses
Urbanisation in Southeast Asia is now one of the region’s most powerful yet under-recognised industrial policy tools. Urban planners and economists need to work together to unlock the potential of the region’s cities.
Malaysia’s Social Media Ban for Under-16s: Protection or Overreach?
Like some other countries, Malaysia intends to ban social media for children and youth under sixteen. However, this sledgehammer of a policy will likely fall short; there are other nuanced options to consider first.
ASEAN’S Evolving Climate Governance Framework
ASEAN’s climate governance architecture has evolved to match the urgency to align regional ambition with Paris Agreement goals, with growing recognition that regional coordination is vital in accelerating the green transition and attracting international climate finance.