The emergence of a People’s Defence Forces in Myanmar Danu self-administered zone will have implications for the rest of Shan State and other parts of the country.
Category Archives: Commentaries
Ukraine’s Accession to TAC: A Critical Decision for ASEAN
ASEAN has a chance to stand up for international peace by allowing Ukraine to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Failing to do so would highlight the weakness of the organisation at a time when small and medium states need to hold firm against great power bullying.
Small Business and Climate Change: The Last Frontier?
Helping the world’s smallest businesses to deal with climate change might hold the key to a complete solution for global warming.
Leadership in Place, PKR Needs to Focus on Ideology
Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the political party of Anwar Ibrahim, has a new slate of leaders in place. To make a difference, PKR will need to find a balance between pragmatism and the need to uphold multiracialism.
How Southeast Asia Will Benefit from the G7’s Infrastructure and Investment Drive
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.
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.