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.

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
The (un)making of Joko Widodo
The (un)making of Joko Widodo
Book Review: Ben Bland, Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the struggle to remake Indonesia (Penguin, Lowy Institute, 2020) Indonesian President Joko Widodo, a man once…
The limits of Zoom diplomacy in Asia
The limits of Zoom diplomacy in Asia
Say it quietly, lest the wrath of the pandemic gods be triggered. But the wheels of in-person diplomacy are starting to turn again across Asia. The smiling handshakes are gone,…
Indonesia's Economy Needs More Than A Reboot from Jokowi
Commentary
Indonesia's Economy Needs More Than A Reboot from Jokowi
Originally published in Bloomberg.
Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia
Lowy Institute Papers
Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia
The first English-language political biography of Joko Widodo, to be published on 1 September 2020 by Penguin Specials as a Lowy Institute Paper.
Brookings Report: Historical tensions and contemporary governance challenges in Southeast Asia: The case of Indonesia
Reports
Brookings Report: Historical tensions and contemporary governance challenges in Southeast Asia: The case of Indonesia
In this report published by the Brookings Institution, Ben Bland explains why Western nations need to engage with Indonesia in its own right, not as a part of plan to…
West Papua: The Issue That Won't Go Away for Melanesia
Analyses
West Papua: The Issue That Won't Go Away for Melanesia
West Papuans continue to fight for independence with the support of many Pacific nations. Despite Indonesia’s opposition and the recent impact of COVID-19 on the region, the…
Anchoring the Indo-Pacific
Reports
Anchoring the Indo-Pacific
A report by Premesha Saha, Ben Bland, and Evan A. Laksmana published by the Observer Research Foundation. 
Foreign and Security Policy in the new Malaysia
Analyses
Foreign and Security Policy in the new Malaysia
Malaysia’s foreign and security policy faces myriad challenges, but not much is likely to change under Mahathir Mohamad’s ‘New Malaysia’ framework.
Politics in Indonesia: Resilient elections, defective democracy
Analyses
Politics in Indonesia: Resilient elections, defective democracy
The pressures on Indonesian democracy are not likely to abate under a second-term Jokowi or a Prabowo presidency
‘New’ Malaysia: Four key challenges in the near term
Analyses
‘New’ Malaysia: Four key challenges in the near term
In the aftermath of Malaysia’s momentous regime change, the new government faces a number of challenges to implementing wholesale political reform.
Inside Story
23 May 2023
ABC Local Radio Nightlife
18 May 2023
Australian Financial Review
23 April 2024