The US-Philippine Alliance: Shared Interests and Subtle Nuances

The US National Security Strategy (NSS) identifies some shared interests between Washington and Manila. However, there are nuances in the strategic calculus of the allies when it comes to two key potential flashpoints in the region: Taiwan and the South China Sea.

The Fundamental Tension in Biden’s National Security Strategy

Washington’s new National Security Strategy has been carefully crafted, but the document hosts a number of inherent tensions. Foremost among them is the fact that putting democracy at the center of a strategy that is increasingly Asia-focused is ill-advised.

Globalised Halal Markets and Middle-class Southeast Asia: The “Muslim Piety Economy”

Islamic revivalism in Southeast Asia has stimulated interest in halal products and Muslim material culture. In Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, governments have actively helped shape a Muslim piety economy around halal production, trade, regulation and consumption.