The Biden Administration has reinvigorated its approach towards Southeast Asia. This, however, will be limited by important US priorities and Southeast Asian reluctance to irk Beijing.
Category Archives: Commentaries
The Malaysian Impasse: Some Outcomes to Consider
While Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government only commands a minority in parliament, those who wish to see him gone would need to cobble together an alternative majority.
State Elections in Sarawak: Kingmaker in the Offing?
The political temperature in Kuala Lumpur has risen recently due to the governing coalition’s increasingly tenuous hold on the reins of power. In the general elections that are to come, any coalition eyeing power will have to look at the eastern state of Sarawak.
UMNO Withdraws from Perikatan: September Blues for Muhyiddin?
Malaysia Prime Minister Muhyiddin pulled off a historic coup in February last year, when he ditched the then-ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition to form a new government. Eighteen months on, he might soon be getting a taste of his own medicine.
Team Biden: A Southeast Asia Reset
Compared to China, the Biden Administration has been slow off the blocks in the game of winning friends and influencing people in Southeast Asia. It has its work cut out for it.
Between Religious Rituals and Safety Protocols in the Time of a Pandemic
Religious leaders have an important role to play, in word and deed, to safeguard the physical and spiritual well-being of their flock during this pandemic.
Land of Smiles Riven by New Political Faultlines
Seven years after the 2014 coup, Thailand is seeing a new political divide along generational and ideological lines.
Thailand’s No Sa-lim Shopping List: Taking Aim at Big Business
Thai pro-democracy protestors have started to boycott big businesses deemed as pro-regime. While the sheer pervasiveness of these companies makes effective boycott difficult, it has not deterred protestors from exercising their power as consumers.
Secretary Austin’s Visit to Vietnam: Building Trust to Strengthen Defence Ties
The expected signing of a memorandum of understanding to resolve war legacy issues during US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s visit to Vietnam will go a long way in developing bilateral defence ties.
Congress and America’s Negative Turn Against China: Strategic Ballast
In recent years, the US Congress has played a major role in America’s unprecedented turn against China.