18 Feb 2021 Indonesia’s New Sovereign Wealth Fund: Professionals Provide Some Comfort, But Challenges Remain Manggi Habir Indonesia has appointed a blue-ribbon slate of professionals to head its new sovereign wealth fund. There will be several challenges ahead, including concerns about investor protection and the Covid-19 pandemic. COVID-19 Economic Development Economic Planning Indonesia Indonesian Economy
18 Feb 2021 The State of Southeast Asia Survey America is Back – For Now At Least Choi Shing Kwok The advent of the new Biden Administration has sparked high hopes for US engagement by Southeast Asians. Still, Uncle Sam has a mountain to climb. ASEAN China-U.S. Relations Southeast Asia State of Southeast Asia Survey U.S. Foreign Policy
17 Feb 2021 Gus Baha: Rising Star Challenging Islam’s Conservative Establishment A'an Suryana His style might appeal less to social media users, but Ahmad Bahauddin Nursalim has gained a following in Indonesia for his intellectual capacity. Indonesia Islam Progressive Islam Religion Religious Dialogue
16 Feb 2021 The Hijab in Indonesian Public Schools: Individual Rights vs. Identity Politics Ahmad Najib Burhani Regulating the hijab has long been a tool for both sides in Indonesia’s identity politics struggle. Identity Politics Indonesia Islam Religion Religious Dialogue Religious Intolerance
15 Feb 2021 How Successful Will the Protests in Myanmar Be? Su-Ann Oh The ongoing anti-coup protests are qualitatively different and pose a bigger challenge to Myanmar’s military rulers than earlier protest movements. COVID-19 Myanmar Myanmar Elections Myanmar Politics Social Media Techonology
11 Feb 2021 Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year or “China’s New Year”? The Rise of (China’s) Identity Politics Leo Suryadinata In multi-ethnic Southeast Asia, the term “Lunar New Year” is more befitting than “Chinese New Year”. The traditional celebration has always transcended ethnicity and national identity. ASEAN-China Relations China Identity Politics Southeast Asia
11 Feb 2021 Not Welcome Home – Vietnamese Abroad and Tết in the Year of the Buffalo Ivan V. Small Vietnam’s border closures keep families apart and economic opportunities unrealised. COVID-19 Overseas Foreign Workers Vietnam Vietnamese Demography
10 Feb 2021 New Covid-19 Strains: Domestic Surveillance, Not Selective Travel Bans, Will Go A Longer Way Jayant Menon In the ensuing fight against new strains of Covid-19, countries should rely more on intensified domestic surveillance protocols than travel bans. COVID-19 Singapore
10 Feb 2021 State of Southeast Asia Survey: Hopes Brighten Over US Amid Covid-19 Gloom Terence Chong Covid-19 is the biggest challenge facing Southeast Asia even as regional confidence in the new Biden Administration grows, according to the latest State of Southeast Asia Survey published by the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute. ASEAN China Southeast Asia U.S.
9 Feb 2021 Agent Orange: Vietnam’s ‘Struggle for Justice’ Continues Phan Xuan Dung Agent Orange remains a barrier to closer Vietnam-US relations. To lower this barrier, the Biden administration should treat Vietnamese victims the same as American ones. Cold War Criminal Justice System U.S.-Vietnam Relations Vietnam
