Critics have pilloried the Group of Seven’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment for its lack of scale and tardiness. But Southeast Asian countries should welcome an alternative source of capital for much-needed infrastructure projects in the region.
Author Archives: blackbox
Building Peace in Asia: It’s Not the “Asian Way”
China’s “Asian way” is an all-embracing idea and a coded language to discredit other countries’ actions that are deemed harmful to China’s strategic interests.
Promoting Inclusive Growth with Digital Identification in ASEAN
Digital identification could be a silver bullet to increase tax revenues for ASEAN governments while pulling the region’s poorest out of poverty by redistributing wealth.
Offered but Not Taken: Why Are Businesses Not Using Government Support?
Time and again, surveys show that SME owner-operators prefer to get their information from peers, friends, family and local business organisations. This is followed by third-party professional advisers. Governments usually come last.
Frugal Innovations: New Delhi’s Soft Power Potential in ASEAN
India has the opportunity to boost its soft power in ASEAN, including by promoting and sharing its lauded ‘frugal innovations’ to help low-income Southeast Asians to improve their lives.
Content Moderation of Social Media in Southeast Asia: Contestations and Control
There is an increasing need for content moderation on social media, which puts pressure on regional governments and tech companies to reach new understandings about mediating online content to serve the political and social good.
Shinzo Abe’s Legacy: The Centrality of Southeast Asia
Shinzo Abe learned that Japan’s security did not lie in its military, but Japan’s good citizenship in a free-trading rules-based order. Southeast Asia was central to his pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The U.S.-China Strategic Competition in the Pacific: Something ASEAN Needs to Watch
Beijing’s recent moves to establish security cooperation with Pacific Island states have riled the U.S. and Australia. ASEAN needs to watch the ongoing great power competition there closely to draw lessons for its own security.
Digital Transformation under Indonesia’s G20 Presidency: What can it Deliver?
Indonesia’s G20 presidency has committed to take action in the three priority areas of digital transformation, global health infrastructure and energy transition. But the war in Ukraine threatens to overshadow the agenda. The G20 may have to be satisfied with lowest common denominator agreements, though Indonesia clearly aspires for more.
Anies Baswedan: Potential Kingmaker in Indonesia’s 2024 Presidential Race?
The race for Indonesia’s 2024 presidential elections remains wide open. Among the top three contenders, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan is the one with the most options. If he does not make a run for the nation’s top job himself, he is well-placed to become a kingmaker.