Commentaries | FULCRUM

ASEAN’s Mission to Myanmar: An Approach to Ends with Possibilities of Success

Police (foreground) disperse demonstrators calling for democracy in Myanmar during a rally outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) building in Jakarta on 24 April, 2021, where the ASEAN summit on the Myanmar crisis is due to take place. (Photo: Bay ISMOYO/ AFP)

All eyes will be on the incoming mission of the ASEAN Chair’s special envoy in Myanmar to facilitate talks between the military junta and civilian government it toppled earlier this year. But the writing is already on the wall – the envoy has a mountain to climb.

Speaking Out on Politics in Indonesia: More Opportunity, More Fear

Jakarta's Christian governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama (R), looks on in a courtroom at the North Jakarta court for his trial for blasphemy in Jakarta on 20 December, 2016.(Photo: Adek BERRY/ AFP)

Despite a legacy of citizen passivity from the New Order era, elite fear of the freedom social media promises remains strong.

Muhyiddin’s Special Envoy to the Middle East: Largely Ceremonial

Hadi Awang delivering a speech on the occasion of the Badar Al-Kubra on 30 April, 2021. (Photo: Dato’ Seri Tuan Guru Jaji Abdul Hadi Awang/ Facebook)

Hadi Awang, the Malaysian prime minister’s special envoy to the Middle East, has done little to advance Kuala Lumpur’s interests in that region. His role is more political than functional.

The ASEAN Way: Zen and the Art of Great Power Maintenance

A Vietnamese navy ship (L) near Chinese navy ships at a military port in Zhanjiang, in China's southern Guangdong province as part of a China-ASEAN joint maritime exercise on 22 October, 2018, to ease tensions in the South China Sea. (Photo: STR/ AFP)

Recent official rejections of China’s “nine dash line” claims in the South China Sea by Southeast Asian disputant states are not about closer alignment with the US.

Biden Versus Trump in Southeast Asia: Where the Rubber Meets the Road 

President Biden And Vice President Harris Participate In Virtual Leaders Summit On Climate

Expectations of the Biden Administration’s engagement with Southeast Asia are running high, but, like his predecessor, President Biden did not register any meetings or phone calls with Southeast Asian leaders in his first three months in office.

DAP Johor Party Elections: A “Fourpeat” for State Chief Liew Chin Tong

Liew Chin Tong’s win in the Johor state party elections is a win for Lim Kit Siang in the coming DAP national party elections.

Vietnam’s 2021 National Assembly Election: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Nguyen Tuong Thuy (L), one of the former independents associated with the 2016 “self-nomination movement”, during his trial at a courthouse in Ho Chi Minh City for anti-state charges on 5 January, 2021. (Photo: STR/ Vietnam News Agency/ AFP)

The process of self-nomination to Vietnam’s legislature is fraught with political peril, which reflects the calibrated rules of the election under the communist regime.

Next Thai Election, Next Thai Electoral System?

An electoral official tallies the vote count at a polling station in Bangkok on 24 March, 2019 after polls closed in Thailand's general election. There have been talks to change Thailand’s current mixed-member apportionment (MMA) electoral system. (Photo: Chalinee THIRASUPA/ AFP)

The main ruling party and opposition parties want to change the electoral system to their advantage before the next election.

The Riau Islands’ New Leadership: Glimmers of Light Amid the Gloom

(Screengrab: KPU Bea Cukai Batam, Youtube)

A new leadership team in Indonesia’s Riau Islands has bold plans to steer the region back into growth, after a gruelling year fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. If they play their cards right, they are in it with a fighting chance.