Asean
Commentary
Will ASEAN’s first joint military exercise prepare it for future crises?
Originally published in Channel News Asia, 27 September 2023.
History and domestic dynamics: How ASEAN members see the Hamas-Israeli conflict
In the days since Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on 7 October, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has not made a formal statement about the crisis. This…
Owning the Indo-Pacific term: Time for a new ASEAN strategic narrative
Over just a few years, the term “Indo-Pacific” has evolved from a mere geographical descriptor into a geopolitical rallying point. Coined by Japan and championed by the United…
ASEAN’s first joint military exercise
The first Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) joint military exercise, code-named ASEAN Solidarity Exercise 2023 (ASEX 2023), has just ended. Hosted by Indonesia from…
Indonesia’s long-term geostrategic ambition: What’s missing?
President Joko Widodo recently unveiled Indonesia’s preliminary long-term development plan (RPJPN) of 2025–2045, which lays out the country’s grand ambition to attain a “Golden…
Economic diplomacy: ASEAN bound, but words are not enough
Legacy land
One of the curiosities of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s memoir of his time in office is that he makes very little of the 2018 gathering of Southeast…
Amid great power visits, don’t underestimate middle power cooperation
This week, US President Joe Biden visited Vietnam as part of a trip “to strengthen alliances around the world to maintain stability”. One widely reported outcome is the…
ASEAN, China and the trust deficit
Trust (or the lack of it) seems to be the central theme in describing relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China. Several ASEAN leaders emphasised this…
In Australia’s big play in Southeast Asia, mobilising the private sector is critical
There is an unmistakable disconnect between Australia’s trade and investment flows and the geo-economic importance of Southeast Asia.
The combined economies of the Association…
Weeks of living dangerously in Jakarta, all over again
The 1978 novel by Australian author Christopher Koch, titled The Year of Living Dangerously, set primarily in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, describes events leading up to…