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  • 9 Mar 2026
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Iran

    Australia’s Iran reflex and the credibility test in Southeast Asia

    Hangga Fathana
    How Australia frames its response to the Iran strikes matters as much in Jakarta as it does in Washington.
  • 4 Mar 2026
    • Asean
    • Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
    • Nuclear Weapons

    Southeast Asia’s nuclear weapons-free zone needs reinforcement

    Brendan Taylor
    As nuclear risk returns globally, Southeast Asia's weapons-free status looks less secure and more worth defending.
  • 26 Feb 2026
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines

    Sabah’s borders: Indonesia joins Malaysia-Philippines dispute

    Sue Thompson
    A border row between Malaysia and Indonesia is reviving memories of older unresolved territorial fights.
  • 26 Feb 2026
    • Asean
    • Trade
    • United States

    Southeast Asia trade after the US Supreme Court tariff decision

    Roland Rajah
    How Trump rebuilds his tariff wall will shape future trade with the region.
  • 24 Feb 2026
    • Asean
    • Myanmar
    • Timor-Leste

    Myanmar and Timor-Leste quarrel

    Susannah Patton
    A fallout between two ASEAN members highlights Timor-Leste’s unique international personality.
  • 19 Feb 2026
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Energy
    • Climate change

    Australia’s power play in Southeast Asia

    Ruth Adler , Richard Neumann
    The region’s energy transition is stalling. An ASEAN electricity grid could change that.
  • 18 Feb 2026
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Global Economy

    To succeed in Southeast Asia, Australia must balance security and trade

    Hunter Marston
    Australia ranks second in defence networks but ninth in economic capability – and the region has noticed.
  • 13 Feb 2026
    • Asean
    • Singapore
    • Space exploration
    • Technology

    Can Southeast Asia extend its AI data centre advantage into Space?

    Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano , Iuna Tsyrulneva
    The race to build orbital computing initiatives now taking shape leaves the region facing a choice to catch up.
  • 9 Feb 2026
    • Asean
    • Bangladesh
    • Malaysia
    • Myanmar
    • Asylum seekers and refugees

    Rohingya boats: Out of mind but still coming

    Gerhard Hoffstaedter , Antje Missbach , Chris Lewa , Erik Ramadhanil
    Regional states may prefer not to see what is happening, but wilful blindness does not make the boats disappear.
  • 28 Jan 2026
    • Asean
    • Energy
    • Trade
    • Technology

    Resilience in a conditional trade order: ASEAN’s 2026 challenge

    Apoorba Banerjee
    For ASEAN, policy volatility is now an input into industrial planning.
  • 20 Jan 2026
    • Asean
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste’s governance dilemma: Fear, accountability, and risk

    João Boavida , Milena Pires
    The newest member of ASEAN needs to bolster ethical leadership and institutional integrity for its future generations.
  • 13 Jan 2026
    • Asean
    • Myanmar

    Myanmar's election is a test ASEAN cannot afford to fail

    Yuyun Wahyuningrum
    Myanmar's military seeks legitimacy through managed elections. The Philippines must decide how ASEAN will respond.
  • 9 Dec 2025
    • Asean
    • India
    • Timor-Leste

    India’s chance with Timor-Leste to shift ASEAN’s gaze

    Sanchari Ghosh
    The newest ASEAN member faces the Indian Ocean, not the South China Sea, giving India fresh maritime leverage.
  • 8 Dec 2025
    • Asean
    • Philippines

    Head in sand, the way of the ASEAN ostrich

    Richard Javad Heydarian
    Malaysia’s chairmanship sidestepped divisive issues. Manila’s turn will force ASEAN to confront its paralysis.
  • 25 Nov 2025
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • United States

    Southeast Asian manufacturing: No longer immune from geopolitics

    Apoorba Banerjee
    The region’s industrial sector must adapt in a new climate of supply-chain weaponisation.
  • 21 Nov 2025
    • Asean
    • Russia
    • Review

    Great aspirations? Examining Russia’s role in Southeast Asia

    Georgi Engelbrecht
    A new book examines Russia's decade-long engagement with the region and finds more rhetoric than real influence.
  • 20 Nov 2025
    • Asean
    • North Korea
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Ukraine

    Delay as a weapon: Fighting – and winning – on the clock

    Henry Yep
    From the South China Sea to the battlefields in Ukraine, negotiations that never end can give a false sense of stability.
  • 19 Nov 2025
    • Asean
    • Singapore
    • Technology

    Can ASEAN secure a quantum future?

    Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano
    To harness the power of quantum, Southeast Asia must upskill, innovate, and think beyond the vendor-supplier model.
  • 13 Nov 2025
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • China
    • Philippines
    • Timor-Leste

    Where the Philippines might lead ASEAN

    Richard Javad Heydarian
    Will Manila shake off its “deputy sheriff” badge to become the anchor of a new coalition in Southeast Asia?
  • 7 Nov 2025
    • Asean
    • Malaysia

    Anwar’s international success sours at home

    Amy Chew
    Malaysia won the world over as host of the ASEAN summit, but domestic politics tells a different story.
  • 31 Oct 2025
    • Asean
    • Global Economy
    • Climate change
    • Coronavirus
    • Diplomacy
    • Technology

    Resilience diplomacy: The quiet contest shaping the Indo-Pacific

    Shameek Godara
    For middle powers, the ability to help partners withstand shocks may prove more valuable than raw strength.
  • 29 Oct 2025
    • Asean
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor’s ASEAN accession: What next?

    Guteriano Neves
    Membership brings promises for growth and regional voice, yet domestic capacity will determine real benefits for citizens.
  • 29 Oct 2025
    • Asean
    • Trade
    • United States

    ASEAN’s dealmaking with Trump shows promise

    Robert Walker
    The US President is still dictating terms but critical mineral cooperation might give the region a bargaining tool
  • 27 Oct 2025
    • Asean
    • Myanmar
    • Asylum seekers and refugees

    A sham election offers no end to Myanmar’s suffering

    Amy Chew
    For ASEAN, endorsing the junta’s charade would accelerate Myanmar’s descent while destabilising the region.
  • 24 Oct 2025
    • Asean
    • United States

    ASEAN summits in 2025: Trump centrality

    Susannah Patton
    The US President’s attendance is prized by ASEAN, even as it poses challenges.
  • 21 Oct 2025
    • Asean
    • Cambodia
    • Indonesia
    • Laos
    • Malaysia
    • Thailand
    • Energy
    • Trade
    • Climate change
    • Sustainability
    • United States

    The sun is setting on Southeast Asia’s solar exporters

    Robert Walker
    US tariffs are testing whether ASEAN is all talk on regional integration for renewable energy generation.
  • 14 Oct 2025
    • Asean
    • Cambodia
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam

    The other Cambodia border issue ASEAN can’t fix

    Minh Son To
    Vietnam rehabilitated its image everywhere except Cambodia.
  • 1 Oct 2025
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Intelligence and security

    Australian conflict prevention – from statements to strategy?

    William Leben , Martina Zapf
    Australian tunnel vision on potential China–US conflict may blind us to pressing risks closer to home.
  • 30 Sep 2025
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • Defence & Security
    • Ukraine
    • Technology

    Time for an ASEAN agreement on lethal AI

    Ngô Di Lân
    The use of autonomous weapons in the region’s flashpoints could narrow the window for human intervention to seconds.
  • 26 Sep 2025
    • Asean
    • Bangladesh
    • Hong Kong
    • Indonesia
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Thailand

    The youth are revolting as Asia's gerontocracy is showing its age

    Erika Isabel Bulan Yague , Lukas Nagel , Helen Berents
    Across the region, leaders twice the median age of their populations face sustained resistance from a new generation.
  • 25 Sep 2025
    • Asean
    • Brunei
    • Cambodia
    • Indonesia
    • Laos
    • Malaysia
    • Myanmar
    • Philippines
    • Singapore
    • Thailand
    • Timor-Leste
    • Vietnam

    Is the US really losing to China in Southeast Asia?

    Susannah Patton
    A major new research project published by the Lowy Institute says yes – but there’s more to the story.
  • 23 Sep 2025
    • Asean
    • Technology

    Which way for ASEAN’s AI governance approach?

    Faiza Saleem
    Three possible futures as other emerging regions watch on.
  • 9 Sep 2025
    • Asean
    • Cambodia
    • Thailand

    Five days of fire: Lessons from the Cambodia–Thailand border crisis

    In Sokhuon
    Divergent strategies on border disputes could be solved with an ASEAN solution. But is there the political will?
  • 9 Sep 2025
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Diplomacy

    The messy truth: Australia’s reputation in Southeast Asia

    Lindsay R. Dodd
    When it comes to soft power, a little more humility and a lot less swagger would work in Canberra’s favour.
  • 2 Sep 2025
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea

    Indonesia’s move to welcome PNG into ASEAN is a win-win

    Akhmad Hanan
    Expanding the Southeast Asian bloc is good for the region, and will ensure Jakarta’s leadership position.
  • 29 Aug 2025
    • Aid & Development
    • Asean
    • Defence & Security
    • Trade

    Triple shock threatens Southeast Asia’s development model

    Dina Chhorn
    Tariffs, border disputes and shrinking aid budgets combine to challenge six decades of regional economic progress.
  • 18 Aug 2025
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Maritime Security

    The Ambalat dispute is a chance for Indonesia and Malaysia to lead by example in Asia-Pacific diplomacy

    Akhmad Hanan
    Against a backdrop of wider regional tensions, finding a solution to this longstanding dispute would be model behaviour.
  • 12 Aug 2025
    • Asean
    • Technology

    AI-driven tobacco control in ASEAN requires unified data standards

    Mochammad Fadjar Wibowo , Muhammad Daniel Azlan Mahadzir , Elyssa Liu
    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
    • Asean
    • China
    • Australia

    Albanese’s Beijing visit sends mixed signals across Southeast Asia

    Susannah Patton
    The region sees independence where Australia sees relationship management.
  • 8 Aug 2025
    • Asean
    • China
    • Climate change

    ASEAN and China need their own climate compact

    Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
    Southeast Asian nations could transform from climate-vulnerable bystanders into unified diplomatic leaders.
  • 28 Jul 2025
    • Asean
    • Cambodia
    • Thailand

    Thailand-Cambodia clashes pose a serious test to ASEAN centrality

    Khang Vu
    Border violence between two members undermines the bloc’s credibility and risks drawing in great power competition.
  • 28 Jul 2025
    • Asean
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    The TSD: The most underrated minilateral?

    Shreya Maknoor
    Reviving a languishing security agreement between Australia, Japan and the United States would be a win for regional stability.
  • 24 Jul 2025
    • Asean
    • Myanmar
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste and navigating the ASEAN Way

    Flávio Simões
    Upset from the generals in Naypyidaw is a further test of Dili’s mastery of regional diplomatic choreography.
  • 24 Jul 2025
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Diplomacy

    Australia’s ambitious conflict prevention agenda in Asia

    Susannah Patton
    Penny Wong's initiative is conceptually muddled but might still be smart diplomacy in Southeast Asia
  • 16 Jul 2025
    • Asean
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste is ready for ASEAN, but is ASEAN ready for what comes next?

    Vu Lam
    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
    • Asean
    • Myanmar
    • Global Issues

    Can Malaysia nudge ASEAN beyond non-interference to tackle the scam crisis in Myanmar?

    Liu Weiyi , Asha Hemrajani
    Traditional principles are clashing with urgent need for coordinated response to the threat of transnational crime.
  • 30 Jun 2025
    • Asean
    • Global Economy
    • Technology

    QR payments: The ASEAN way

    Hilman Palaon
    Southeast Asia is leapfrogging global leaders and setting the new standard for digital payments.
  • 26 Jun 2025
    • Asean
    • Cambodia
    • Thailand
    • Diplomacy

    Personality over protocol: Thailand-Cambodia tensions reveal ASEAN’s quiet crisis

    Vu Lam
    Hun Sen’s leaked recording of Thai PM exposes how unregulated informal diplomacy can threaten regional stability.
  • 24 Jun 2025
    • Asean
    • Malaysia
    • Timor-Leste

    Halfway through Malaysia’s watch, ASEAN expands its ambition

    Simran Walia
    Growing the regional bloc with Timor-Leste’s membership has been more than a decade in the making.
  • 23 Jun 2025
    • Asean
    • Syria

    The role for ASEAN in Syria’s restoration

    Kurniawan Arif Maspul
    The quiet diplomacy model practised by the Southeast Asian grouping complements efforts by other powers and offers much to gain.
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