A disc jockey performing chants clothed in Buddhist garb has stoked controversy in Singapore and Malaysia, highlighting the social and religious sensitivities in the two countries.
Category Archives: Commentaries
Election Integrity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Lessons from Indonesia
Indonesia’s 2024 election showed the ways Artificial Intelligence can corrode the integrity of future elections. Countries should regulate AI-generated political content across the entire information supply chain and devise strategies for combating disinformation and manipulation.
The Pentagon’s Disinformation War: Undermining Health and Alliances in Southeast Asia
Recent revelations that the US’ Pentagon waged a disinformation campaign against Chinese COVID-19 vaccines in Southeast Asia should shake the region out of any naïve assumptions that the great powers would protect anyone else’s interests but their own as they fight for supremacy.
Southeast Asia’s Poor Showing at the Ukraine Peace Summit
The uneven responses of Southeast Asian nation-states to the recent summit in Switzerland on peace for Ukraine shows that other geopolitical preoccupations loom larger in the region.
How Singapore’s Cross-Border Power Trade Can Catalyse a Greener ASEAN Power Grid
Expanding power trade in ASEAN will be key to meeting the region’s climate action pledges. Singapore can lead by showing that renewables are increasingly affordable, reliable, and a good return on investment domestically — and when traded regionally.
The Suzhou Industrial Park: Singapore’s Evolving Role 30 Years On
Singapore continues to contribute to the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) by working with its Chinese counterparts to identify new areas of cooperation, helping Chinese companies go overseas to Singapore and facilitating Singapore-based companies to expand their businesses in China.
New Zealand’s Tilt Towards Southeast Asia: More than Rhetoric?
The new New Zealand government has grand plans to step up engagement with Southeast Asia. The question is whether the rhetoric will be matched by actual investments.
With Malaysia’s Opposition Weakened, Anwar Faces More Secure Future
Many observers have rued that the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would not last. This is no longer the case.
Regional Institutions Should Step Up to Integrate South Asia with Southeast Asia
Regional institutions can potentially foster closer economic integration between Southeast Asia and South Asia, but the existing ones need to cooperate more closely and more strategically.
Putin’s Visit to Vietnam: When the Past Weighs on the Present
Vietnam’s gains from hosting Russia’s president will likely pale in comparison to the expected benefits of courting other powers. However, sentiment can play a role in international relations – what’s a visit between old friends?