Commentaries | FULCRUM

Marriage Equality: Could Vietnam Be Next?

There is growing momentum in Vietnam to adopt marriage equality. However, traditional societal norms and tighter controls on foreign funding loom.

The Thailand-Cambodia Border Crisis is ASEAN’s Moment of Truth

Inaction on the Thailand-Cambodia conflict undermines ASEAN’s raison d’être by the day. There is still time to salvage the situation.

Thai-Cambodian Dispute: When Foreign Policy Begins at Home

Amid growing tensions in the Thai-Cambodian border dispute, the former is doing itself no favours as political parties manoeuvre to gain political advantages.

China’s Global Security Initiative: Not About Picking Sides

China has sought to promote its Global Security Initiative in Southeast Asia by implementing tangible projects in regional countries.

Trump’s Tariff Deal With the Philippines: All Praise, Little Gain

For all the praise that US President Trump lavished on his Philippine counterpart, Marcos Jr. had little to account for from his high-profile visit to the US.

Trump’s Tariff Deals With Southeast Asia: It’s Complicated

Given current information available regarding the US’ tariff regime towards countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, it is hard to assess which regional countries will come up tops in the ongoing saga.

Mining Row Exposes Ideological and Generational Split Within Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama

Within Indonesia’s largest mass Muslim organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), there is a deepening ideological and generational split over the elites’ decision to defend controversial mining activities.

Malaysia’s Push for the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit: Connecting Past and Present

Malaysia’s initiative to establish the ASEAN-GCC-China summit underscores a long-standing desire to connect past and present.

Rethinking GenAI Visuals in Government Communications

Governments are turning to generative AI to assist in public communications, sparking backlash from the public over the quality and intent of such visuals. A better approach would be to pair GenAI with human expertise.