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.
Category Archives: Editor Picks
The United States’ “Mini” Shangri-La Dialogue: Stand and Deliver
When Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense, speaks at the 40th Fullerton Lecture in Singapore tonight, he will need to go beyond speaking about esoteric concepts such as the “rules-based international order” and promise that Washington will provide tangible deliverables in the form of pandemic assistance, economic growth and trade.
ASEAN and the Problem of Legitimacy
ASEAN needs to decide whether Myanmar’s State Administration Council has the legal capacity to engage in international relations that has direct impact on ASEAN’s own legal capacity as an inter-governmental organisation.
Indonesia Suspends Paid Vaccination Programme: Signs of Growing Political Pressure
In Indonesia, a paid vaccination programme bombed out in a span of days. Putting economics above health priorities had added to the negative political climate for the government.
Sandboxes Amidst a Rising Tide
Thailand’s so-called “sandbox” schemes to jumpstart the country’s tourism sector is laudable. But they might be achieved at a cost.
Revisit Two-Coalition System in Malaysia
The recent jolts to Malaysia’s political landscape show that there is a strong basis for a return to a pluralistic and accountable two-coalition system.
Are We Witnessing the Bankruptcy Proceedings of the Malay Agenda?
After a series of power grabs, there are few ideological differences among the country’s political parties and groupings in power. If UMNO as a phenomenon has run out of gas, its raison d’etre — Malay supremacy — needs some reconsideration.
Malaysia’s Higher Education Sector: Time to Soar to a Higher Plane
The pandemic presents a plum opportunity for extensive reforms in Malaysia’s higher education sector.
Malaysia’s Covid-19 Response: Pressed to Be (in the) Present
Pressed by short-term exigencies caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia is planning to raise Malaysia’s debt ceiling to 65 per cent of GDP. Another round of stimulus package might be on the cards.
K-pop Activism: A Potent Political Force
K-pop activism is a growing phenomenon in Southeast Asia, serving as an alternative means of political mobilisation and expression among tech-savvy youth.