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Anwar’s international success sours at home
Malaysia won the world over as host of the ASEAN summit, but domestic politics tells a different story.
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31 Oct 2025
Resilience diplomacy: The quiet contest shaping the Indo-Pacific
For middle powers, the ability to help partners withstand shocks may prove more valuable than raw strength. -
29 Oct 2025
Timor’s ASEAN accession: What next?
Membership brings promises for growth and regional voice, yet domestic capacity will determine real benefits for citizens. -
29 Oct 2025
ASEAN’s dealmaking with Trump shows promise
The US President is still dictating terms but critical mineral cooperation might give the region a bargaining tool -
27 Oct 2025
A sham election offers no end to Myanmar’s suffering
For ASEAN, endorsing the junta’s charade would accelerate Myanmar’s descent while destabilising the region. -
24 Oct 2025
ASEAN summits in 2025: Trump centrality
The US President’s attendance is prized by ASEAN, even as it poses challenges. -
21 Oct 2025
The sun is setting on Southeast Asia’s solar exporters
US tariffs are testing whether ASEAN is all talk on regional integration for renewable energy generation. -
14 Oct 2025
The other Cambodia border issue ASEAN can’t fix
Vietnam rehabilitated its image everywhere except Cambodia. -
1 Oct 2025
Australian conflict prevention – from statements to strategy?
Australian tunnel vision on potential China–US conflict may blind us to pressing risks closer to home. -
30 Sep 2025
Time for an ASEAN agreement on lethal AI
The use of autonomous weapons in the region’s flashpoints could narrow the window for human intervention to seconds. -
26 Sep 2025
The youth are revolting as Asia's gerontocracy is showing its age
Across the region, leaders twice the median age of their populations face sustained resistance from a new generation. -
25 Sep 2025
Is the US really losing to China in Southeast Asia?
A major new research project published by the Lowy Institute says yes – but there’s more to the story. -
23 Sep 2025
Which way for ASEAN’s AI governance approach?
Three possible futures as other emerging regions watch on. -
9 Sep 2025
Five days of fire: Lessons from the Cambodia–Thailand border crisis
Divergent strategies on border disputes could be solved with an ASEAN solution. But is there the political will? -
9 Sep 2025
The messy truth: Australia’s reputation in Southeast Asia
When it comes to soft power, a little more humility and a lot less swagger would work in Canberra’s favour. -
2 Sep 2025
Indonesia’s move to welcome PNG into ASEAN is a win-win
Expanding the Southeast Asian bloc is good for the region, and will ensure Jakarta’s leadership position. -
29 Aug 2025
Triple shock threatens Southeast Asia’s development model
Tariffs, border disputes and shrinking aid budgets combine to challenge six decades of regional economic progress. -
18 Aug 2025
The Ambalat dispute is a chance for Indonesia and Malaysia to lead by example in Asia-Pacific diplomacy
Against a backdrop of wider regional tensions, finding a solution to this longstanding dispute would be model behaviour. -
12 Aug 2025
AI-driven tobacco control in ASEAN requires unified data standards
Aligning the diverse digital infrastructure across member states offers a chance for effective AI deployment to help the region’s 120 million smokers. -
11 Aug 2025
Albanese’s Beijing visit sends mixed signals across Southeast Asia
The region sees independence where Australia sees relationship management. -
8 Aug 2025
ASEAN and China need their own climate compact
Southeast Asian nations could transform from climate-vulnerable bystanders into unified diplomatic leaders. -
28 Jul 2025
Thailand-Cambodia clashes pose a serious test to ASEAN centrality
Border violence between two members undermines the bloc’s credibility and risks drawing in great power competition. -
28 Jul 2025
The TSD: The most underrated minilateral?
Reviving a languishing security agreement between Australia, Japan and the United States would be a win for regional stability. -
24 Jul 2025
Timor-Leste and navigating the ASEAN Way
Upset from the generals in Naypyidaw is a further test of Dili’s mastery of regional diplomatic choreography. -
24 Jul 2025
Australia’s ambitious conflict prevention agenda in Asia
Penny Wong's initiative is conceptually muddled but might still be smart diplomacy in Southeast Asia -
16 Jul 2025
Timor-Leste is ready for ASEAN, but is ASEAN ready for what comes next?
The bloc’s inability to mediate even among its members highlights a structural blind spot: it can convene, but not intervene, even when regional cohesion is at stake. -
14 Jul 2025
Can Malaysia nudge ASEAN beyond non-interference to tackle the scam crisis in Myanmar?
Traditional principles are clashing with urgent need for coordinated response to the threat of transnational crime. -
30 Jun 2025
QR payments: The ASEAN way
Southeast Asia is leapfrogging global leaders and setting the new standard for digital payments. -
26 Jun 2025
Personality over protocol: Thailand-Cambodia tensions reveal ASEAN’s quiet crisis
Hun Sen’s leaked recording of Thai PM exposes how unregulated informal diplomacy can threaten regional stability. -
24 Jun 2025
Halfway through Malaysia’s watch, ASEAN expands its ambition
Growing the regional bloc with Timor-Leste’s membership has been more than a decade in the making. -
23 Jun 2025
The role for ASEAN in Syria’s restoration
The quiet diplomacy model practised by the Southeast Asian grouping complements efforts by other powers and offers much to gain. -
20 Jun 2025
Myanmar and ASEAN’s parallel diplomacy trap
In Southeast Asia, national imperatives are increasingly outweighing regional cohesion. -
19 Jun 2025
No Trump photo-op for the PM but a reminder where Australia’s future lies
The cancelled G7 meeting is a timely reminder that Australia’s most promising opportunities lie in deeper engagement with our region. -
5 Jun 2025
France seeks third way between US and China in Southeast Asia
The French leader sent a message of partnership but gave few concrete details on sustained engagement plans. -
3 Jun 2025
The tariff war that’s accelerating Asia’s trade transformation
As the deadline for suspension looms, regional economies are looking to patch the vulnerabilities of regional economic architecture. -
2 Jun 2025
No one’s world: The Global South is navigating a post-American order
Global influence no longer flows solely from dominant capitals – and power itself is changing shape. -
26 May 2025
Australia’s role in preventing the next Andaman Sea refugee catastrophe
Regional reforms since the 2015 maritime crisis show progress, but gaps in coordination threaten vulnerable populations. -
2 May 2025
How the Squad risks upending ASEAN norms
Is minilateralism really the way forward for the Indo-Pacific? -
24 Apr 2025
Economic diplomacy: Trump era transcends economics
The International Monetary Fund and Australia have found some welcome security amid growing geopolitical fragmentation. -
24 Apr 2025
In US-China rivalry, Southeast Asia is no one’s prize. Why do we insist otherwise?
That no relationship can be simplified to a dichotomy should be blindingly obvious. -
10 Apr 2025
Tariffs or temporary pause: ASEAN’s big choice
How Southeast Asian nations respond to Donald Trump’s economic coercion matters for the world and Australia. -
10 Apr 2025
The US has backed out of the Just Energy Transition Partnerships. Southeast Asia should double down
The region has a chance to take charge of its own clean energy solutions. -
9 Apr 2025
A tariffying shift for the ASEAN market
The US is driving away friends and accelerating a process of diversification. -
3 Apr 2025
What difference will the election outcome make to Australia ties with Southeast Asia?
Four issues to watch in how each party would approach the region, and how countries could react. -
2 Apr 2025
With 121 million smokers, Southeast Asia should turn to AI to help quit the habit
Technology advances give ASEAN the opportunity to enhance tobacco controls and encourage a healthy way. -
12 Mar 2025
Artificial intelligence and sustainability in the Asia-Pacific
With the right strategies, AI and clean energy can work in harmony, driving progress without compromising the planet. -
6 Mar 2025
Imagine a first for ASEAN, a woman as the Secretary-General
The Southeast Asian grouping has made strides in gender equality but a female leader would be an important step. -
28 Feb 2025
Russia’s ASEAN embrace
Moscow has increasingly looked to Southeast Asia for friends, even as distance and sanctions hamper ties. -
17 Feb 2025
Indonesia’s climate retreat puts the region’s green future at risk
Jakarta’s ambivalence is a litmus test for ASEAN’s climate solidarity. -
14 Feb 2025
US restriction is chipping away ASEAN’s semiconductor future
Southeast Asia needs to look at expanding and diversifying its semiconductor ecosystem beyond just manufacturing.