15 Apr 2025
Asia without America? History shows Australia can be confident shaping regional security
The Five Power Defence Arrangements makes for a case in point.
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4 Apr 2025
Can Malaysia’s semiconductor industry stream upwards?
Ambition alone will not be enough to climb the global semiconductor value chain. -
15 Jan 2025
Can Malaysia drive ASEAN like the pony express?
Or does the regional grouping remain stuck in the stable? -
16 Dec 2024
Southeast Asia’s death penalty laws: The ultimate political game
The region’s diverse policies on executions are about more than the war on crime. -
29 Nov 2024
As traditional “Anglo” international education destinations falter, Asia-Pacific countries look closer to home
Chinese students are largely driving the surge in international students choosing universities across the region. -
11 Nov 2024
Malaysia’s democratic transition: Why it matters for Southeast Asia and the Muslim world
But progress could still be reversed. -
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. -
21 Oct 2024
The ghosts of Japan’s occupation of Malaysia
Haunting stories of wartime brutality live on in Malaysia’s folklore, allowing the country to navigate the trauma. -
16 Oct 2024
Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship is a catalyst, not a panacea
Moving beyond regional deadlocks will take more than a single year. -
15 Oct 2024
The ripple effects of EU deforestation laws in Southeast Asia
The region's palm oil industry needs to move with the times. But meeting the challenges will take a group effort. -
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. -
2 Aug 2024
Will Malaysia build ASEAN with BRICS?
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: Pushing the chips in on neutrality
Growing US-China rivalry is not turning the Southeast Asian nation from a tradition of non-alignment. -
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. -
30 May 2024
Does India’s Act East Policy matter to Southeast Asia?
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: The Sarawak secession?
The Borneo state has won greater autonomy and holds all the cards for more concessions. -
28 Mar 2024
India: What a Modi win means for relations with Malaysia
Shared strategic future can no longer rely on “silence” as response to contentious issues. -
21 Mar 2024
New Zealand and ASEAN: Focusing on what’s right under its nose
As a country at the end of the global supply chain, New Zealand depends on the stability of Southeast Asia. -
7 Feb 2024
The role of Singapore, Malaysia and Australia in ASEAN centrality
Cooperation, especially on security and the economy, is key to countering pressure from outside the bloc. -
20 Dec 2023
The great offshore decommissioning
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
The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19
Poverty, institutional incapacity and budget cuts fuelled a surge in pandemic piracy. The lessons are many. -
19 Sep 2023
No neutrality in espionage: Why is Malaysia tangled up in a spying case in Norway?
Asking the Kremlin would be a good start. -
11 Sep 2023
Malaysia at 60: One country, three visions
Islamist rule, the secular status quo or a state within a state – the future of Malaysia looks shaky. -
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. -
28 Feb 2023
Malaysia’s Anwar steps out abroad to bolster his standing at home
The new PM has thrown himself into travel to raise Malaysia’s profile on regional challenges after years of turmoil. -
1 Feb 2023
Indonesia gets the ball rolling on domestic worker rights
Jakarta’s call to legislate its informal workforce should be a model for all countries that receive migrant workers. -
22 Dec 2022
The Interpreter 2022: Your most-read articles
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated the year. But readers also wanted to know all about Southeast Asia’s elections. -
1 Dec 2022
Anwar’s victory not the only Malaysian shockwave
A dramatic rise in the Islamist vote in the Muslim-majority country is the biggest outcome of the election. -
15 Nov 2022
Malaysian Chinese community to shape national poll
Electoral mathematics means politicians are faced with a choice between communal politics and multiculturalism. -
15 Nov 2022
Refugees may become victims of Malaysia’s electoral politics
The plight of Myanmar Rohingyas exposes Southeast Asia’s disjointed policies and fragile human rights protections. -
4 Aug 2022
Does ASEAN really need an official “second language”?
Privileging one voice over another in Southeast Asia would be a mistake. -
27 Jul 2022
Semut: Australia’s secret war against the Japanese in Borneo
A reconstruction of incomplete archives reveals one of Australia’s most audacious independent special forces operations. -
26 Jul 2022
Answering China’s South China Sea flying safety challenge
A regional response can best manage risks, and the Five Power Defence Arrangement offers just the mechanism. -
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. -
12 Apr 2022
China’s nine-dash line proves stranger than fiction
How Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea have crept imperceptibly into global popular culture. -
25 Mar 2022
Stiffening the ASEAN spine in the South China Sea
Any “minilateral” grouping among Southeast Asian nations must be mindful of its internal contradictions. -
9 Jun 2021
Malaysia – and no Southeast Asian nation – should be bullied by China
An incursion by Chinese aircraft into Malaysian airspace is yet another reminder of Beijing’s belligerence. -
23 Apr 2021
Malaysia’s political turmoil has an economic cost
With parliament suspended and a pandemic-induced shock, necessary and serious reform seems a long way off. -
22 Mar 2021
North Korea and Malaysia’s predictable diplomatic divorce
Pyongyang is sending a message in typically overbearing style. But the target is as much the US as it is Malaysia. -
18 Jan 2021
Resisting uncertainty, Malaysia is finding itself
Covid-19 has turbocharged Malaysia’s already fractious politics – and that’s flowing into the country’s economy. -
9 Dec 2020
Favourites of 2020: Minister of Finance Incorporated
To grasp Malaysia’s infamous 1MDB scandal means understanding the elaborate ecosystem of government-linked companies. -
20 Aug 2020
In Malaysia’s Covid “infodemic”, crime is all too easy
A crackdown on the spreading of false information is unfair if people don’t have the means to spot it. -
19 Aug 2020
As Pakistan and Saudi Arabia drift apart, China moves in
A growing schism between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan points to new alliances in the Muslim world. -
4 Aug 2020
The Najib verdict and the test of Malaysia’s institutions
Tough punishment will be a deterrent only if paired with a credible threat of prosecution and impartial judgement. -
27 May 2020
Rohingya in Malaysia, doubly trapped
Panics have a way of seeking out victims, and the Rohingya in Malaysia have been easy targets during the pandemic. -
8 May 2020
Malaysia needs a shadow cabinet to check an amateurish government
Covid-19 has exposed Malaysian politics as a scramble for self-interest. There is a better way. -
5 Mar 2020
Malaysia is now in uncharted waters
With an Islamist party now in government agitating for social curbs, the way of life in a secular nation is at stake. -
28 Jan 2020
Forging consensus in the South China Sea
By backing each other’s claims, a united Southeast Asian front would be difficult for Beijing to divide and conquer. -
4 Dec 2019
In conversation: Malaysia’s Foreign Minister on great power rivalry
From the South China Sea to the Rohingya crisis, Saifuddin Abdullah speaks to Lowy’s Ben Bland on Asia’s big challenges.