US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric in past weeks has sparked a chain reaction of alarm in Southeast Asia. If his words become deeds, the region’s uneven but evident bedrock of trust in the US, carefully built up since World War Two’s end, could slowly turn to dust.
Category Archives: Commentaries
Timor-Leste Bets on Online Gambling
If the Timorese government can manage the potential negatives arising from allowing online gambling to be hosted in Timor-Leste, the returns from this bet could uplift the country’s fledgling economy.
To Lam’s Pragmatic Pitch to Vietnam’s Youth: Economic Prosperity, Political Control
Compared to their Southeast Asian peers, Vietnamese youth are more economically optimistic but politically disengaged. These attitudes concur with pragmatism of the country’s top leader To Lam, which focuses on material prosperity while calibrating civic freedoms to regime imperatives.
Trump 2.0 and the US-Philippines Alliance: Consistency and Change
The US-Philippines alliance is expected to be reinforced in the Trump 2.0 administration. It will, however, be tested given existing regional flashpoints and the need to follow through commitments pledged in previous years.
How A Ceasefire In Ukraine Could Affect Asian Security
A ceasefire in Ukraine could enable Washington to strengthen its deterrence network in the Indo-Pacific. But this depends on whether Trump hews to traditional balance of power considerations.
Indonesia’s Social Media Usage Law Might Not Protect Children
The Indonesian government’s move to safeguard children from online harm is laudable. However, it overlooks their wellbeing and trains them to be digitally illiterate by assuming the solution lies in a general law.
Reconciling Indonesia’s Food Sufficiency Ambitions with Climate Commitments
As Indonesia forges ahead with plans to become an advanced economy, an honest reckoning needs to occur, to ensure that it does not squander its vast environmental resources for short-term gain.
Is the Growth of Thailand’s Medical Tourism Industry Sustainable?
There are mounting concerns that foreign medical tourism in Thailand could exacerbate a brain drain from the public healthcare sector. The overall picture is more nuanced.
Will Malaysia’s New Social Media Licence Shield Users or Curb Freedom?
Malaysia’s new hands-on approach to regulating social media aims to enhance online safety, but licensing requirements, heavy punishments, and vague terms raise concerns about government overreach.
Rethinking Thailand’s Local Elections: Beyond the Shadow of National Parties and Political Big Houses
The logic of decentralisation is overlooked if one views provincial administration organisation (PAO) elections through the lenses of rivalries among national parties and the emphasis on ban yai.