Programs & Projects

The Southeast Asia Program

The Southeast Asia Program

The Southeast Asia Program aims to explain the latest developments in this vital region, inform and influence policymakers, and help build connections across countries and sectors. At a time of intensifying great-power competition in the region, it is more important than ever to understand the diverse nations of Southeast Asia in their own right and how they interact with each other and outside states. We organise regular events, roundtables and online engagements with leading policymakers and experts focusing on Southeast Asia. We also contribute to the Lowy Institute’s core research publications. For example, the latest Lowy Institute Paper was written by our Director, Ben Bland. Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia is the first English biography of President Jokowi and uses his remarkable story to reflect on Indonesia’s development challenges.

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
Director, Southeast Asia Program
Director of Research
Lowy Institute Lead Economist; Director, Indo-Pacific Development Centre
Nonresident Fellow
Malaysian politics after the election - what to expect from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim?
Podcasts
Malaysian politics after the election - what to expect from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim?
In this episode of Conversations, Susannah Patton talks to Amrita Malhi about the political outlook for Malaysia following the November general election. 
Conversations: The South China Sea - Has the United States lost to China?
Podcasts
Conversations: The South China Sea - Has the United States lost to China?
Susannah Patton talks to Greg Poling, Director of the Southeast Asia Program and Director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and…
Jagged sphere
Analyses
Jagged sphere
China’s quest for infrastructure and influence in mainland Southeast Asia
Lowy Institute Conversations: Nathan Law on exile, China and the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong
Podcasts
Lowy Institute Conversations: Nathan Law on exile, China and the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong
In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, Director of the Southeast Asia Program Ben Bland sits down with Nathan Law to discuss exile, China’s repressive policies and the…
Commentary
Jokowi’s contradictions and the struggle to remake Indonesia
Originally published in The Jakarta Post.
Lowy Institute Conversations: Aye Min Thant and Melissa Crouch on the coup in Myanmar
Podcasts
Lowy Institute Conversations: Aye Min Thant and Melissa Crouch on the coup in Myanmar
In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, Ben Bland, Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, sits down with Aye Min Thant and Melissa Crouch to…
Commentary
In the defining year of his presidency, Joko Widodo faces an incredibly difficult challenge
Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Commentary
Indonesia's Jokowi turns politics into a family business
One-time furniture maker who fought his way to the top was meant to be different. Originally published in Nikkei Asia.
COVIDcast: Chatib Basri on Indonesia’s struggle with COVID-19 and its first recession since 1998
Podcasts
COVIDcast: Chatib Basri on Indonesia’s struggle with COVID-19 and its first recession since 1998
In this episode of COVIDcast, Ben Bland, the Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, sat down with Chatib Basri to discuss Indonesia’s struggle with COVID-19.
ABC RN Between The Lines
10 March 2023
ABC RN Counterpoint
6 March 2023
The Australian Financial Review
3 March 2023
The Jakarta Post
20 February 2023
The Jakarta Post
7 February 2023
The Australian Financial Review
7 February 2023