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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.

Selling Dreams Versus Same as Before: A Tale of Two Provinces

In contesting the recent provincial administrative office elections, the People’s Party did not learn from the lessons of the past.

Rodrigo Duterte’s Trial Before the International Criminal Court: Unprecedented

The International Criminal Court’s warrant of arrest against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is a significant step to hold him accountable for alleged crimes committed during his anti-drug drive.

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.

Challenges and Priorities for Myanmar’s Conflicted Economy

Myanmar’s economy in 2024 continued to struggle with slow growth, high inflation, increasing poverty, and declining real wages. Its near-term economic prospects are weak, weighed down by conflict, outmigration, uncertainty, and State Administration Council (SAC) policies that extract from the real economy to resource the regime.

COMAC’s C919 in Southeast Asia: Needs More than Price to Take Flight

China’s COMAC is touting its C919 aircraft as a cost-effective alternative to the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. Success, however, depends on overcoming significant challenges such as certification and establishing reliable maintenance networks.

Why Thai and Indonesian Youth Oppose Increasing Military Influence in Society

Compared to young people in other Southeast Asian countries, Thai and Indonesian undergraduates are the most wary of potential military influence over their countries’ politics and their own lives.

A Return to Political Chaos? The Philippines’ Impeachment Saga

Vice-President Sara Duterte’s upcoming impeachment trial will have a major impact on whether political stability in the Philippines is upended or maintained.