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  • 5 May 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • South China Sea
    • Southeast Asia

    Indonesia’s dilemma as China pushes a “Global Security Initiative”

    Alfin Febrian Basundoro
    Existing regional mechanisms can accommodate diverse interests in Southeast Asia without the need for a new forum.
  • 26 Apr 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • United States

    Quad should ask ASEAN to a diplomatic dance

    Ved Shinde
    For all the talk of hedging, Southeast Asian nations have long worried about China’s ambition to dominate the region.
  • 22 Mar 2023
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Myanmar
    • Australia

    Can ASEAN forge a political solution in Myanmar?

    Rebecca Barber
    Indonesia and Australia have different but equally critical roles in bringing the junta to the negotiating table.
  • 21 Mar 2023
    • Asean
    • Japan
    • Southeast Asia

    Japan seeks an improved climate in relations with ASEAN

    Sam Baron
    A new blueprint for economic ties between Tokyo and Southeast Asian nations has a focus on sustainable development.
  • 9 Feb 2023
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • China
    • India
    • Laos
    • North Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • United Nations

    With caution and tact: How Asian countries voted on Ukraine at the UN 

    Stéphanie Fillion
    A resolution forces nations to show their hand. After Russia’s invasion, consistency has not been to everyone’s liking.
  • 24 Jan 2023
    • Asean
    • Japan
    • Sustainability

    Japan and ASEAN: 50 years of maritime strategy

    Thư Nguyễn Hoàng Anh
    Collaboration on ending illegal fishing and piracy in the region is important. But there are also bigger fish to fry.
  • 30 Nov 2022
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    Supporting the kind of region we want

    Richard Marles
    In tougher strategic times, ASEAN stands as a crucial forum to ensure competition doesn’t tip into confrontation.
  • 17 Nov 2022
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • Global Economy
    • Energy
    • Trade
    • Sustainability
    • Technology

    Economic diplomacy: Charging up old ties with Jakarta

    Greg Earl
    Australia has stepped up a trade diversification push despite the first moves towards reconciliation with China.
  • 15 Nov 2022
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Trade

    Putting food at the heart of China-Indonesia relations

    Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
    Beijing sees Indonesia as a major contributor to its food security and this has found receptive ears in Jakarta.
  • 9 Nov 2022
    • Asean
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Trade
    • United States

    Countdown to Asia’s summit season

    Susannah Patton
    Conflict in Myanmar and Ukraine against a backdrop of US‑China tension – a crowded agenda will unfold in coming weeks.
  • 13 Sep 2022
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Fiji
    • Solomon Islands
    • Vanuatu

    Why Indonesia’s engagement with Pacific countries matters

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    Sovereignty, trust and mutual benefit are all at stake when so many regions come together under the Indo-Pacific banner.
  • 13 Sep 2022
    • Asean
    • Southeast Asia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament

    Has Southeast Asia warmed to AUKUS one year on?

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    The shock of surprise has faded and a new tone from new voices may ease some concerns. But objections remain.
  • 9 Sep 2022
    • Asean
    • China
    • Southeast Asia
    • United States

    US-China rivalry in Southeast Asia need not be a zero-sum game

    Thi Mai Anh Nguyen
    The big powers should pay more attention to the cooperative instincts of regional partners.
  • 6 Sep 2022
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • Southeast Asia

    Debating Southeast Asia’s future

    Susannah Patton
    Insights from six of the region’s most interesting economic thinkers show the pathway to collective growth is not clear.
  • 5 Sep 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Asean
    • Timor-Leste

    José Ramos-Horta's Australian visit: a checklist

    Parker Novak
    The Greater Sunrise LNG field will top his agenda, along with economic diversification and ASEAN membership.
  • 25 Aug 2022
    • Asean
    • Philippines
    • Australia and Asia

    A new Marcos gets down to business

    Greg Earl
    After an easy election win, the Philippine president is facing challenges at home and abroad.
  • 4 Aug 2022
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia

    Does ASEAN really need an official “second language”?

    Muhammad Ersan Pamungkas
    Privileging one voice over another in Southeast Asia would be a mistake.
  • 27 Jul 2022
    • Trade and Investment in the Asia Pacific
    • Timor-Leste
    • Asean
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Trade
    • Pacific Islands

    Economic diplomacy: The Pacific beats ASEAN for nervous investors

    Greg Earl
    Abe Shinzo’s passing and the Timor oil spy case dismissal reveal new thinking about what national security means.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • Southeast Asia
    • Asean
    • Global Economy
    • Coronavirus

    ASEAN and pandemic recovery: Economy before strategic rivalry

    Tiara Putri Indira Dewanti
    Southeast Asia needs international support to rebuild from Covid. But help should not come with strings attached.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • Asia Pacific Regional Relationships
    • Asia and Pacific
    • Asean

    Log-jam in the Indo-Pacific economic policy space

    Peter Brian M. Wang
    It’s time for APEC to hit the refresh button to remain relevant in the region.
  • 27 Jun 2022
    • Asean
    • India
    • Japan
    • Australia and Asia
    • United States

    Why Australia shouldn’t put all its eggs in the Quad basket

    Henry Storey
    The regional security pact is yet to prove its worth. Options must be kept open, with minilaterals top of the list.
  • 3 Jun 2022
    • Asia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Multilateral Development Banks
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Energy

    Labor should create a “Regional Carbon Bank” for ASEAN and the Pacific

    Peter McCawley
    An urgent demand for clean electricity infrastructure requires needs a dedicated, multilateral agency in support.
  • 24 May 2022
    • Asean
    • Australia

    Engaging with Southeast Asia: more than aid

    Teesta Prakash
    The sentiment is right, Australia needs to strengthen ties with the region. But don’t rely on aid to deliver.
  • 17 May 2022
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • China
    • India
    • Japan

    AUKUS: More than meets the eye

    Jada Fraser
    A series of small, overlapping initiatives are combining to bolster the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific.
  • 16 May 2022
    • United States
    • Asean

    Scoring Biden’s ASEAN summit

    Susannah Patton
    Good for ties with Southeast Asia, but a so-so agenda suggests US influence in the region will continue to decline.
  • 5 May 2022
    • Trade
    • Australia's Trade
    • IMF
    • Asean
    • Australia

    Economic diplomacy: Trade shifts challenge a new government

    Greg Earl
    “Friendshoring” offers a half-way house between reshoring production and diversifying markets in a deglobalising world.
  • 20 Apr 2022
    • Australia's Trade
    • Australia's Economy
    • Asean
    • Australia and Asia

    Strategic divergence: Australia’s Southeast Asia challenge

    Susannah Patton
    Australia’s next government needs to find ways to relate to the region that don’t depend on geopolitical alignment.
  • 15 Apr 2022
    • Maritime Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • Vietnam

    Taming troubled waters

    Lai Thai Binh
    Looking from Vietnam, multi-layer joint efforts to ensure maritime security are welcome in the South China Sea.
  • 8 Apr 2022
    • Asean
    • United Kingdom

    Britain in Southeast Asia: How to keep old friends newly engaged

    Huong Le Thu
    Are there too many Indo-Pacific inputs right now from various European actors, individually and collectively?
  • 6 Apr 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • International law

    Protecting law and order at sea means educating people on their rights

    Jay Batongbacal
    Broad understanding about the need to balance and compromise interests will strengthen the system of international law.
  • 4 Apr 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Southeast Asia

    Cause and effect: The right security architecture for the Indo-Pacific

    Ian Storey
    Limitations in the established rules and forums have led the region to innovate.
  • 25 Mar 2022
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Vietnam
    • Philippines
    • Malaysia

    Stiffening the ASEAN spine in the South China Sea

    Arrizal Jaknanihan
    Any “minilateral” grouping among Southeast Asian nations must be mindful of its internal contradictions.
  • 25 Mar 2022
    • Asean
    • Australia and Asia
    • Human rights

    What counts for victims of trafficking?

    Cate Sumner
    Sharing data is key to combatting human rights abuses against vulnerable groups from the ASEAN region.
  • 21 Mar 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • India
    • Japan

    Does the Quad Plus add up?

    Susannah Patton
    The four-way security group should walk its talk about an inclusive region by stepping up dialogue with other countries.
  • 7 Mar 2022
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Russia
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Singapore
    • Laos
    • Ukraine

    Reading Southeast Asia on Ukraine 

    Susannah Patton
    Russia’s invasion has unified the West with new clarity, yet exposed ambiguity and uncertainty in Southeast Asia.
  • 7 Mar 2022
    • Asean
    • Timor-Leste
    • Russia
    • Energy
    • Ukraine

    The Ukraine crisis and Timor-Leste

    Andrea Fahey
    The small country’s decision to stand against Russia underscored its democratic credentials in a region without many.
  • 24 Feb 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Public Opinion
    • United States
    • Trade
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • China
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Economic diplomacy: Slow dividends for Australia from ASEAN spending

    Greg Earl
    Amid the Ukraine sanctions showdown, an Indian trade deal looms as a pre-election win for the Morrison government.
  • 16 Feb 2022
    • Asia
    • United States
    • Asean

    Joe Biden’s new Indo-Pacific Strategy: A view from Southeast Asia

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    Rather than trying to push ASEAN to confront China, the White House has made an important gesture for unity.
  • 31 Jan 2022
    • Asean
    • Myanmar

    ASEAN and Myanmar: No sign of progress

    Roshni Kapur
    Despite aiming to promote regional stability, the grouping has struggled to find consensus after the coup in Naypyidaw.
  • 30 Dec 2021
    • Asean
    • Myanmar

    The junta takes back Myanmar – Best of The Interpreter 2021

    The Interpreter
    A coup in February sparked countrywide protests and challenged the region to respond.
  • 5 Nov 2021
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Southeast Asia

    Australia’s chance to dream with Southeast Asia

    Huynh Tam Sang , Pham Do An
    As a United States ally, Canberra can be a bridge between the region and Washington.
  • 22 Oct 2021
    • Asean
    • Myanmar

    ASEAN muddles through on Myanmar

    Ben Bland
    An interesting regional precedent is set by the decision to stop the junta leader attending upcoming summit meetings.
  • 20 Oct 2021
    • Asean
    • Myanmar

    If pushed far enough, would Myanmar leave ASEAN?

    Andrew Selth
    Some generals once feared joining the regional body would expose Myanmar to foreign pressures.
  • 21 Sep 2021
    • US Navy
    • Maritime Security
    • China-Australia Relations
    • Asia Pacific Security
    • Australian Navy
    • Asean
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australia-United States Relations
    • China
    • United Kingdom
    • France

    AUKUS and the CPTPP: It’s all about China

    Ian Hill
    Security deterrence is only one factor in the new and fast-moving geostrategic environment of the Indo-Pacific.
  • 15 Sep 2021
    • United States
    • Asean
    • Southeast Asia

    US engagement in Southeast Asia: How much will be enough?

    Jun Yan Chang , Collin Koh
    Complaints about America’s attention to the region need to be put in proper context.
  • 17 Aug 2021
    • Asean
    • United Kingdom

    UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt – not just for the good times

    Ben Bland
    Britain’s renewed enthusiasm in Southeast Asia means, among other tasks, negotiating the idiosyncrasies of ASEAN.
  • 22 Jul 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • China
    • Southeast Asia

    US-China rivalries: What matters for ASEAN

    Nurliana Kamaruddin
    Southeast Asian nations have learned to be wary of big powers offering promises of security in return for loyalty.
  • 2 Jul 2021
    • The Trans-Pacific Partnership
    • Asean
    • United Kingdom

    Playing catch-up: Britain’s re-engagement with Southeast Asia

    Rahul Mishra
    UK Foreign Secretary manages a mid-pandemic whistle-stop tour of Asian nations in a bid to promote “Global Britain”.
  • 10 Jun 2021
    • Asean
    • Myanmar

    Myanmar pushes ASEAN to the brink

    Nicola Williams
    But there are lessons from other regional organisations in responding to a coup and political crisis.
  • 9 Jun 2021
    • Asean
    • China
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia – and no Southeast Asian nation – should be bullied by China

    Jason Lim
    An incursion by Chinese aircraft into Malaysian airspace is yet another reminder of Beijing’s belligerence.
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