blackbox

Reassessing Anies Baswedan’s Legacy in Jakarta: Institutionalising Collaboration to Address Urban Challenges

Apart from his political legacy, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan might have left a lasting policy and bureaucratic impact on how Jakarta develops as an urban city, quite apart from its identity as the nation’s capital, which it is about to shed.

‘Dark Indonesia’ and the Anxiety of Indonesian Middle Class

The series of student and civil society protests across Indonesia and some recent surveys reveal a middle class for which all is not well.

Making the EU a Credible Economic Hedge for ASEAN

Against a more uncertain global economic backdrop, the European Union and ASEAN face greater urgency to strengthen economic engagement and strategic partnerships.

Beijing Retains Considerable Weight in Regional Perceptions

Despite some apprehension about its actions, Beijing continues to retain considerable weight among Southeast Asian elites. This should improve if China learns to temper its assertiveness, particularly in the South China Sea.

Humanitarian Aid in Myanmar’s Polycrisis: Navigating Disaster Amid Conflict

Rendering immediate aid to Myanmar’s earthquake victims should be a straightforward exercise. However, four years of civil conflict and the potential for politicisation by the ruling junta of humanitarian assistance efforts should put all donors and parties on notice.

Why Theravāda Buddhist Nations Struggle with Democracy

This commentary memorialises the late political scientist Alfred Stepan (1936-2017), a leading light in comparative politics. In it, the author considers Stepan’s research and thinking on the complicated relationship between Theravāda Buddhism and democracy.

Southeast Asia Should Take the Lead in Tackling the AI Climate Conundrum

Artificial intelligence can help resolve climate change problems, but only if the massive energy consumed by data centres comes from green sources.

Mending Fences: Vietnam and Cambodia’s Diplomatic Reset

The Ho Chi Minh City Summit signals a pragmatic reset in Vietnam-Cambodia relations, driven by economic interests rather than ideology. Successful cooperation would bring the added advantage of enhancing their collective bargaining power with external actors and strategic flexibility as the great power competition intensifies.

Trump’s Reciprocal Tariff Policy: Implications for Southeast Asia

The implications of the Trump administration’s reciprocal tariff policy on Southeast Asia are still unclear, as certain questions need to be answered.