10 Feb 2026
What Southeast Asia’s platform-based credit boom doesn’t show
Automated lending creates exposure faster than traditional risk metrics can detect it.
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19 Jan 2026
Peace the Asian way?: China’s role in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict
The contrast between American and Chinese approaches to the border dispute is stark. -
25 Nov 2025
Southeast Asian manufacturing: No longer immune from geopolitics
The region’s industrial sector must adapt in a new climate of supply-chain weaponisation. -
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. -
17 Oct 2025
Signal failure for China’s railway diplomacy in Southeast Asia
As Indonesia renegotiates railway debt with China, other Southeast Asian nations face a cautionary tale about mega-projects. -
14 Oct 2025
The other Cambodia border issue ASEAN can’t fix
Vietnam rehabilitated its image everywhere except Cambodia. -
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. -
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? -
8 Sep 2025
Who is Thailand’s new Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul?
The installation of a “middleman” prime minister is a warning sign for Thailand’s political stability. -
13 Aug 2025
Religious revival: Why young people around the world are finding faith again
From digital spirituality to gendered divides, faith seems to offer meaning and identity where secular culture has fallen short. -
31 Jul 2025
Air force modernisation in Southeast Asia: Deterrence or danger?
Fighter aircraft purchases reflect a broader push for military autonomy at a time of rising great power rivalry and supply chain concerns. -
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. -
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. -
20 Jun 2025
Myanmar and ASEAN’s parallel diplomacy trap
In Southeast Asia, national imperatives are increasingly outweighing regional cohesion. -
20 Jun 2025
A border skirmish and leaked phone call sees the Thailand-Cambodia dispute surge back to life
An international dispute that is all about domestic politics. -
12 Mar 2025
Royal defamation law reform in Thailand: Lost in the echo
Progressive politicians in Thailand face lifetime bans from political office for doing what is core work for MPs the world over: proposing legal amendments. -
6 Mar 2025
Missed signals: What Southeast Asia wants vs what Australia delivers
With US aid disappearing, a new report shows Australia has a chance to align development cooperation with the region’s challenges and Australia’s strengths. -
13 Nov 2024
Thai foreign policy in the twilight zone
If foreign policy reflects domestic politics, its unsurprising that Thailand’s diplomacy is confused and haphazard. -
4 Nov 2024
ASEAN countries confront Chinese export glut
Left unchecked, a saturation of Chinese goods may complicate what has otherwise been a very compelling ASEAN growth story. -
31 Oct 2024
Asia’s year of electoral upsets
The poor result for the region’s most successful electoral machine in Japan on Sunday has only underlined a surprisingly bad year for incumbents across Asia. -
11 Oct 2024
Thailand’s path to climate resilience
While the government has taken steps to address the effects of climate change, efforts must be scaled up. -
9 Sep 2024
China’s rise in Southeast Asia is bringing in a golden age for Australia
Disquiet about Beijing’s growing presence is motivating countries across the region to seek deeper cooperation with Canberra. -
15 Aug 2024
Thailand loses a prime minister
Srettha Thavisin was not important, nor will his successor be. -
18 Jun 2024
The carbon sinks of Southeast Asia are in trouble
Global demand for palm oil and paper is threatening a fragile peatland ecosystem. International cooperation is needed now. -
10 May 2024
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Myanmar talks likely driven by politics and money
This is not the first time the former Thai PM has showcased his supposed statesman qualities. -
13 Feb 2024
ASEAN summit a chance for Australia to reach out to mainland Southeast Asia
Melbourne gathering is a unique chance for Australia to relate to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand in ways that do not depend on geopolitical alignment. -
27 Dec 2023
Power in Asia: Six surprising facts
Following the launch of the 2023 Asia Power Index, the authors dig into data that reveals how power is shifting in Asia. -
21 Dec 2023
The changing face of Thai nationalism today
Over the last century, Thailand has swung between two forms of nationalism – one focused on the monarchy, the other on the people. -
15 Dec 2023
The limits of Thailand’s populist politics
The new government is treading a well-worn path with cash hand-outs and other appeals to voters – only many wanted a different approach. -
22 Nov 2023
Why is Myanmar’s new deep-sea port such hot property?
An alternative route to the Strait of Malacca offers China, and others, a safer, faster and more efficient trade route. -
28 Sep 2023
The new Thai PM has his work cut out on Myanmar
After debuting at the UN General Assembly, the Thai PM must get to work on foreign policy issues, not least Myanmar. -
29 Aug 2023
Cambodia, Thailand and dealing with China: The more things change…
New prime ministers might be in the job, but don’t expect any big shifts in approaches to Beijing. -
15 Aug 2023
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
An old idea for a regional network might hold the answer for energy demand into the future. -
14 Aug 2023
Thailand’s monarchy: Heirs and spares
A surprise visit to Thailand by two of King Vajiralongkorn’s sons after an absence of 27 years shows dynastical survival trumps personal animosity. -
29 May 2023
What Thailand’s youth leaders can learn from Chile’s radical government
The Move Forward Party hope to remake politics but that means carrying people along. -
16 May 2023
Thailand’s election: will the country move forward?
The Kingdom’s conservative forces may have little option but to give way to the elected parties, at least for now. -
8 May 2023
Does Thailand’s election matter?
The election won’t be free and fair but it could be highly consequential for the country and the region. -
30 Mar 2023
Paying for a new Thai democracy
The real winners are far from clear, but Thailand’s populist, party jumping election is Asia’s vote to watch this year. -
9 Feb 2023
With caution and tact: How Asian countries voted on Ukraine at the UN
A resolution forces nations to show their hand. After Russia’s invasion, consistency has not been to everyone’s liking. -
24 Aug 2022
Will Thailand’s prime minister defy time?
Depending on how you count it, Prayut Chan-o-cha’s tenure could be up in 2023 … or not. In politics, numbers matter. -
27 Jul 2022
What Vietnam can learn from Thailand’s fight against illegal fishing
After being issued a yellow card, Hanoi must look to its neighbours and international laws for the way forward. -
9 Jun 2022
Thailand seeking to profit from a global food crisis
The war in Ukraine has highlighted weaknesses in Thailand’s policymaking and prompted cartel behaviour … again. -
6 Jun 2022
Proceed with caution: high-speed rail for Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur
The potential connectivity benefits for two of Asia’s big cities are huge. The obstacles are many. -
16 May 2022
Diplomacy is indispensable to manage the Mekong
The goal of a healthy river won’t be helped by misreading the shared mission of the Mekong River Commission. -
12 Apr 2022
How the Mekong River Commission ignores reality
Nothing is worth celebrating in how a once mighty wild river has been cruelly tamed. -
7 Mar 2022
Reading Southeast Asia on Ukraine
Russia’s invasion has unified the West with new clarity, yet exposed ambiguity and uncertainty in Southeast Asia. -
1 Dec 2021
Increasingly illiberal Thailand
By stifling free expression, authorities are shutting off any prospect of change that is broadly acceptable to all. -
26 Nov 2021
Trouble on the Mekong
Countries along one of Asia’s longest rivers need to address the effects of climate change and overdevelopment. -
15 Nov 2021
Thailand’s regressive royal insult law
The kingdom’s youth and others are speaking out about their monarchy, at great personal expense.