Asean
A new Marcos gets down to business
Sugar coating
As Australia’s former prime minister Scott Morrison has drawn international attention for his efforts to secretly grab power, the region’s newest leader is…
Does ASEAN really need an official “second language”?
The idea of an “official language” for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been a contentious subject over the years. Recently, the issue has resurfaced.
In…
Economic diplomacy: The Pacific beats ASEAN for nervous investors
Sticky money
As the new Labor government oscillates between promoting investment in Southeast Asia to deepen security ties and trying to keep the Pacific family together in the…
ASEAN and pandemic recovery: Economy before strategic rivalry
The sweeping consequences of Covid-19 have carried a devastating cost right across the world, but especially for less-developed countries that began the crisis at a disadvantage…
Log-jam in the Indo-Pacific economic policy space
In a region that has over the years seen the emergence of multiple forums and agreements with an economic dimension – ASEAN, ASEM, APEC, RCEP, TPPA, CPTPP – the Indo-Pacific…
Why Australia shouldn’t put all its eggs in the Quad basket
Since its resurrection in late 2017, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) between Australia, India, Japan and the United States has gradually become a centrepiece of…
Labor should create a “Regional Carbon Bank” for ASEAN and the Pacific
Much of the discussion about climate change policy in Australia has focused on the changes needed by the new Albanese Labor government to align Australia with international goals…
Engaging with Southeast Asia: more than aid
During the Australian election campaign, Labor pledged $470 million aid to Southeast Asia over four years, marking it as an attempt to re-engage the region. Labor also promised to…
AUKUS: More than meets the eye
The clear intention of AUKUS is to tip the military balance in the Indo-Pacific in favour of the United States. The various initiatives in the pact between Australia, the United…
Scoring Biden’s ASEAN summit
US President Joe Biden hosted ASEAN leaders in Washington last week for a special summit to commemorate 45 years of US-ASEAN ties. Such a meeting was long in the making, having…