Southeast Asia
The three issues impeding Myanmar’s transition
More than a year since Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy came to power after a landslide election and six years since the transition began, Myanmar has come a long…
Thailand: The case for optimism
My ANU colleague Nicholas Farrelly's recent Lowy Institute Analysis 'Thailand's Triple Threat' is a sombre look at Thailand's future. He canvasses bleak scenarios, including the…
Analyses
Thailand’s triple threat
Thailand’s status as a relatively stable and predictable partner, in both business and geopolitical terms, is now imperilled (Photo: Getty Images/Borja Sanchez Trillo)
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Indonesian democracy: Down, but not out
The imprisonment on blasphemy charges of Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, has been a blow to hopes that his earlier success in public office…
Capital flows to emerging economies: Still unresolved
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Asian Financial Crisis. Many factors were involved in that disaster, but grossly excessive foreign capital inflows were the key macro…
How China snubbed Singapore at the Belt and Road summit
Among the 29 Heads of State who converged on Beijing for the Belt and Road Summit earlier this week were leaders of seven of the ten ASEAN states. One leader was noticeably…
Refugee detention in Indonesia
It was a morning like any other until Mohammed, the 16-year-old refugee, was arrested by Indonesian immigration officials at a local market. In order to support his family, who…
Indonesian prosperity needs certainty on resource regulation
Among the many floral tributes to Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who lost his bid for a second term in last month's religiously-charged election, one in particular…
Trump’s telephone diplomacy accelerates Southeast Asia’s slide into illiberalism
Late on Saturday night, a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Manila had broken up and its attendees had begun to fly home. But the host of the meeting, Philippine President…
ASEAN Summit: An exercise in omission
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits are largely defined by what is left unresolved and unsaid, rather than what is acknowledged in the chair statements. The…