While the Delta variant of the coronavirus has had a significant impact on Southeast Asia economies, it is unlikely that economies will return to the troughs that they saw in 2020.
Author Archives: Lyd w
Digital Islam in Indonesia: The Shift of Ritual and Religiosity during Covid-19
Covid-19 has forced various Muslim groups to adopt digital platforms in their religious activities. Controversy, however, abounds regarding the online version of the Friday Prayer. In Islamic law, this ritual is wajib (mandatory) for male Muslims.
The Monarchy and Article 150
The recent heightened tensions between the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Prime Minister Muhyidddin Yassin’s Cabinet have put the spotlight on whether the Constitution allows the King to exercise discretionary powers, apart from acting on the advice of Cabinet.
Vaccine Diplomacy in Southeast Asia: Russia Squanders its Sputnik Moment
For a country that was first off the blocks, Russia has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with China and the United States in the game of vaccine diplomacy
ASEAN and the Problem of Legitimacy
ASEAN needs to decide whether Myanmar’s State Administration Council has the legal capacity to engage in international relations that has direct impact on ASEAN’s own legal capacity as an inter-governmental organisation.
Unpacking China’s Merchandise Trade with ASEAN during the Global Pandemic
While the global merchandise trade shrank by 5.3% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, bilateral trade between China and ASEAN increased in the meantime by 6.7%, thanks not only to a steady increase in bilateral trade but also to the relative decline of trade between China with its other major trading partners.
Sandboxes Amidst a Rising Tide
Thailand’s so-called “sandbox” schemes to jumpstart the country’s tourism sector is laudable. But they might be achieved at a cost.
Revisit Two-Coalition System in Malaysia
The recent jolts to Malaysia’s political landscape show that there is a strong basis for a return to a pluralistic and accountable two-coalition system.
Stock Market Fever in Vietnam
Covid-19 pandemic or not, Vietnam is seeing a buoyant stock market, thanks to a retail investor boom and an easy monetary policy.
Are We Witnessing the Bankruptcy Proceedings of the Malay Agenda?
After a series of power grabs, there are few ideological differences among the country’s political parties and groupings in power. If UMNO as a phenomenon has run out of gas, its raison d’etre — Malay supremacy — needs some reconsideration.