COMMENTARIES

14 Jul 2023

Middle-Power Diplomacy: Decoding Vietnam’s Recent Diplomatic Endeavours

Nguyen Khac Giang

Vietnam’s continued engagement with regional middle powers such as India and South Korea enhances its autonomy in a time of intensified great power competition between China and the U.S.

Diplomacy Vietnam

12 Jul 2023

Yoon’s Realignment with the US: Will ASEAN be Relevant for ROK?

Ratih Indraswari|Melinda Martinus

Ratih Indraswari and Melinda Martinus analyse South Korea’s foreign policy direction and engagement with ASEAN under President Yoon Suk Yeol’s leadership.

11 Jul 2023

NATO Expansion Does Not Justify Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Daljit Singh

Apologists for the Russian invasion of Ukraine lay the blame on NATO’s eastward expansion. But Russian discomfort over the expansion cannot justify its brutal invasion of Ukraine.

ASEAN-Russia Relations Russia Ukraine

11 Jul 2023

How the Nine-Dash Line Undermines China’s Economic Interests in Vietnam

Le Hong Hiep

China’s controversial nine-dash line claim to the South China Sea is creating problems for its businesses operating in Vietnam.

China South China Sea Vietnam

President Jokowi and PM Anthony Albanese visited the Sumatran tigers at Taronga Zoo, Sydney on July 4, 2023 (photo: AlboMP / Twitter)

10 Jul 2023

Indonesia Looks East: Widodo’s Engagement with Australia and Papua New Guinea

Julia Lau

Despite earlier misgivings about his overly domestic focus, President Joko Widodo’s recent trip to Australia underscores how he has matured as a statesman and improved bilateral ties with Indonesia’s southern neighbour. Indonesia’s growing middle power influence was illustrated by Widodo’s subsequent visit to Papua New Guinea.

Australia Indonesia Indonesia Foreign Policy

10 Jul 2023

Quad-lite Makes Right?

Hoang Thi Ha|William Choong

Analyses about the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) tend to focus on its four-way formal structures. An examination of the bilateral and plurilateral interactions between Quad members, as well as those between Quad members and other regional states, suggests that their coalition building is much more nimble and flexible.

China Indo-Pacific Quad

7 Jul 2023

From Likes to Lies: Disinformation in the Philippines and Thailand

Aries A. Arugay|Surachanee Sriyai

Recent elections in Thailand and the Philippines have seen the use of disinformation. Currently, policy options to tackle such a phenomenon remain limited.

Online Misinformation Philippine Elections Thai Elections

7 Jul 2023

Will the Labour Party Successfully Challenge the Dominance of “Elektabilitas” Politics in Indonesia?

Max Lane

A small new party is sticking to its ideological guns but will probably not make much of a dent in the established elite’s stranglehold on Indonesia’s electoral politics.

Indonesia Indonesian Elections

6 Jul 2023

Current Key Drivers of ASEAN Integration: Digital Skills and Mobilities

Melinda Martinus|Farah Nadine Seth

The ASEAN Digital Integration Index (ADII) shows that the area of digital skills and talent is ASEAN’s worst-performing indicator of the six digital integration benchmarks used to measure digital integration. This Long Read offers some analysis of the underlying causes of this dismal performance and identifies three opportunities to enhance digital skills.

ASEAN ASEAN Connectivity ASEAN Master Plan

6 Jul 2023

What’s the Matter with MUDA – is it Moody or just Misunderstood?

Francis E. Hutchinson

The Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) has parted ways with Pakatan Harapan to contest the upcoming state elections. Although some have written the youth-focused party off, there might yet be method to its madness.

Malaysia Malaysian Elections