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  • 4 Jul 2025
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Defence & Security

    From Gallipoli to the Strait of Malacca: Why maritime choke points still decide the fate of nations

    Adam Leong Kok Wey
    How a crucial regional waterway may be affected in the event of conflict.
  • 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.
  • 20 Jun 2025
    • Asean
    • Cambodia
    • Indonesia
    • Laos
    • Malaysia
    • Myanmar
    • Philippines
    • Singapore
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam

    Myanmar and ASEAN’s parallel diplomacy trap

    Vu Lam
    In Southeast Asia, national imperatives are increasingly outweighing regional cohesion.
  • 23 May 2025
    • Malaysia
    • Human rights

    Tackling forced labour in Malaysia begins with re-examining its migration model

    Yvonne Tan
    A zero-cost migration model can break the cycle of debt and exploitation.
  • 15 Apr 2025
    • Asia
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • United Kingdom
    • New Zealand

    Asia without America? History shows Australia can be confident shaping regional security

    Rahman Yaacob
    The Five Power Defence Arrangements makes for a case in point.
  • 4 Apr 2025
    • Malaysia
    • Technology

    Can Malaysia’s semiconductor industry stream upwards?

    Doris Liew
    Ambition alone will not be enough to climb the global semiconductor value chain.
  • 15 Jan 2025
    • Asean
    • Malaysia

    Can Malaysia drive ASEAN like the pony express?

    Richard Javad Heydarian
    Or does the regional grouping remain stuck in the stable?
  • 16 Dec 2024
    • Indonesia
    • Indonesia and the Death Penalty
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • Southeast Asia
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • United Nations

    Southeast Asia’s death penalty laws: The ultimate political game

    Kirsten Han
    The region’s diverse policies on executions are about more than the war on crime.
  • 29 Nov 2024
    • Asia
    • China
    • Japan
    • Malaysia
    • South Korea
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States

    As traditional “Anglo” international education destinations falter, Asia-Pacific countries look closer to home

    Angela Lehmann
    Chinese students are largely driving the surge in international students choosing universities across the region.
  • 11 Nov 2024
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia’s democratic transition: Why it matters for Southeast Asia and the Muslim world

    Ooi Kok Hin
    But progress could still be reversed.
  • 4 Nov 2024
    • Asean
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • China's Economy
    • Chinese Trade
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Malaysia
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Trade

    ASEAN countries confront Chinese export glut

    Henry Storey
    Left unchecked, a saturation of Chinese goods may complicate what has otherwise been a very compelling ASEAN growth story.
  • 31 Oct 2024
    • Bangladesh
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Malaysia
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand

    Asia’s year of electoral upsets

    Greg Earl
    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.
  • 21 Oct 2024
    • Japan
    • Malaysia
    • War Crimes

    The ghosts of Japan’s occupation of Malaysia

    Ikhlas Abdul Hadi , Marin Ekstrom
    Haunting stories of wartime brutality live on in Malaysia’s folklore, allowing the country to navigate the trauma.
  • 16 Oct 2024
    • Asean
    • Malaysia
    • Myanmar

    Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship is a catalyst, not a panacea

    Angeline Tan , Yanitha Meena Louis
    Moving beyond regional deadlocks will take more than a single year.
  • 15 Oct 2024
    • Indonesia
    • Indonesia's Economy
    • Malaysia
    • European Union
    • Environment
    • Sustainability

    The ripple effects of EU deforestation laws in Southeast Asia

    Mohd. Yunus
    The region's palm oil industry needs to move with the times. But meeting the challenges will take a group effort.
  • 9 Sep 2024
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Malaysia
    • Southeast Asia
    • Thailand
    • Australia
    • Australia and Asia

    China’s rise in Southeast Asia is bringing in a golden age for Australia

    Susannah Patton
    Disquiet about Beijing’s growing presence is motivating countries across the region to seek deeper cooperation with Canberra.
  • 2 Aug 2024
    • Asean
    • Malaysia
    • BRICS

    Will Malaysia build ASEAN with BRICS?

    Shankaran Nambiar
    As the next chair of the Southeast Asian grouping, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will likely share the concerns of his new BRICS partners.
  • 21 Jun 2024
    • Malaysia
    • BRICS

    Malaysia: Pushing the chips in on neutrality

    Peter Brian M. Wang , Rahul Mishra
    Growing US-China rivalry is not turning the Southeast Asian nation from a tradition of non-alignment.
  • 18 Jun 2024
    • Asia
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Thailand
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Transnational Challenges

    The carbon sinks of Southeast Asia are in trouble

    Mohd. Yunus
    Global demand for palm oil and paper is threatening a fragile peatland ecosystem. International cooperation is needed now.
  • 30 May 2024
    • Asean
    • India
    • Malaysia
    • Southeast Asia

    Does India’s Act East Policy matter to Southeast Asia?

    Yanitha Meena Louis , Jaideep Singh
    Ties with Malaysia make a powerful case study to assess regional ties with the South Asian giant. But others are doing better.
  • 23 May 2024
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia: The Sarawak secession?

    James Chin
    The Borneo state has won greater autonomy and holds all the cards for more concessions.
  • 28 Mar 2024
    • India
    • Malaysia

    India: What a Modi win means for relations with Malaysia

    Yanitha Meena Louis
    Shared strategic future can no longer rely on “silence” as response to contentious issues.
  • 21 Mar 2024
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • New Zealand

    New Zealand and ASEAN: Focusing on what’s right under its nose

    Orson Tan
    As a country at the end of the global supply chain, New Zealand depends on the stability of Southeast Asia.
  • 7 Feb 2024
    • Asean
    • Asia Pacific Security
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australia's Economy
    • Defence & Security

    The role of Singapore, Malaysia and Australia in ASEAN centrality

    Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman
    Cooperation, especially on security and the economy, is key to countering pressure from outside the bloc.
  • 20 Dec 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Australia
    • Environment

    The great offshore decommissioning

    Selwyn Parker
    More than 70 per cent of the world’s oil and gas production comes via ageing infrastructure rapidly approaching an economic limit.
  • 2 Oct 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • South China Sea
    • Coronavirus
    • International law
    • Transnational Challenges

    The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19

    Jade Lindley , Dhiyaul Aulia Huda
    Poverty, institutional incapacity and budget cuts fuelled a surge in pandemic piracy. The lessons are many.
  • 19 Sep 2023
    • China
    • Malaysia
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia

    No neutrality in espionage: Why is Malaysia tangled up in a spying case in Norway?

    Munira Mustaffa
    Asking the Kremlin would be a good start.
  • 11 Sep 2023
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia at 60: One country, three visions

    James Chin
    Islamist rule, the secular status quo or a state within a state – the future of Malaysia looks shaky.
  • 15 Aug 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Energy

    Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality

    Massita Ayu Cindy Putriastuti , Nadira Asrifa
    An old idea for a regional network might hold the answer for energy demand into the future.
  • 28 Feb 2023
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia’s Anwar steps out abroad to bolster his standing at home

    Valerie Rozman , Drake Tien
    The new PM has thrown himself into travel to raise Malaysia’s profile on regional challenges after years of turmoil.
  • 1 Feb 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Taiwan

    Indonesia gets the ball rolling on domestic worker rights

    Ratih Kabinawa , Pamungkas A. Dewanto
    Jakarta’s call to legislate its informal workforce should be a model for all countries that receive migrant workers.
  • 22 Dec 2022
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines
    • Defence & Security
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Administration

    The Interpreter 2022: Your most-read articles

    The Interpreter
    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated the year. But readers also wanted to know all about Southeast Asia’s elections.  
  • 1 Dec 2022
    • Malaysia

    Anwar’s victory not the only Malaysian shockwave

    Amy Chew
    A dramatic rise in the Islamist vote in the Muslim-majority country is the biggest outcome of the election.
  • 15 Nov 2022
    • Malaysia

    Malaysian Chinese community to shape national poll

    Qi Siang Ng
    Electoral mathematics means politicians are faced with a choice between communal politics and multiculturalism.
  • 15 Nov 2022
    • Malaysia
    • Myanmar
    • Human rights
    • Migration
    • United Nations

    Refugees may become victims of Malaysia’s electoral politics

    Max Walden
    The plight of Myanmar Rohingyas exposes Southeast Asia’s disjointed policies and fragile human rights protections.
  • 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
    • Malaysia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Review

    Semut: Australia’s secret war against the Japanese in Borneo

    Henry Storey
    A reconstruction of incomplete archives reveals one of Australia’s most audacious independent special forces operations.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • South China Sea
    • Singapore
    • China
    • Malaysia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • United Kingdom

    Answering China’s South China Sea flying safety challenge

    Peter Layton
    A regional response can best manage risks, and the Five Power Defence Arrangement offers just the mechanism.
  • 6 Jun 2022
    • Thailand
    • Malaysia
    • China – Belt and Road Initiative

    Proceed with caution: high-speed rail for Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur

    Wu Shang-Su
    The potential connectivity benefits for two of Asia’s big cities are huge. The obstacles are many.
  • 12 Apr 2022
    • Maritime Security
    • China
    • Vietnam
    • Philippines
    • Malaysia

    China’s nine-dash line proves stranger than fiction

    Bec Strating
    How Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea have crept imperceptibly into global popular culture.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 23 Apr 2021
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia’s political turmoil has an economic cost

    Alyssa Leng , Roland Rajah
    With parliament suspended and a pandemic-induced shock, necessary and serious reform seems a long way off.
  • 22 Mar 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • North Korea
    • Malaysia

    North Korea and Malaysia’s predictable diplomatic divorce

    James Chin
    Pyongyang is sending a message in typically overbearing style. But the target is as much the US as it is Malaysia.
  • 18 Jan 2021
    • Malaysia
    • Coronavirus

    Resisting uncertainty, Malaysia is finding itself

    Shankaran Nambiar
    Covid-19 has turbocharged Malaysia’s already fractious politics – and that’s flowing into the country’s economy.
  • 9 Dec 2020
    • Malaysia
    • Review

    Favourites of 2020: Minister of Finance Incorporated

    Alyssa Leng
    To grasp Malaysia’s infamous 1MDB scandal means understanding the elaborate ecosystem of government-linked companies.
  • 20 Aug 2020
    • Malaysia
    • Technology
    • Coronavirus

    In Malaysia’s Covid “infodemic”, crime is all too easy

    Harris Zainul
    A crackdown on the spreading of false information is unfair if people don’t have the means to spot it.
  • 19 Aug 2020
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • China
    • Pakistan
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Türkiye
    • Malaysia

    As Pakistan and Saudi Arabia drift apart, China moves in

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    A growing schism between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan points to new alliances in the Muslim world.
  • 4 Aug 2020
    • Malaysia

    The Najib verdict and the test of Malaysia’s institutions

    Alyssa Leng
    Tough punishment will be a deterrent only if paired with a credible threat of prosecution and impartial judgement.
  • 27 May 2020
    • Asylum seekers and refugees
    • Myanmar
    • Migration
    • Malaysia
    • Human rights

    Rohingya in Malaysia, doubly trapped

    JJ Rose
    Panics have a way of seeking out victims, and the Rohingya in Malaysia have been easy targets during the pandemic.
Pagination
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