The election of a Labor government in May brought an expectation that Australia would do more in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. But what will that look like and what new approaches should the government …
The UK government’s Integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy presents the Indo-Pacific as a region of increasing geopolitical and economic importance over the next decade and suggests that competition will play out …
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digital adoption and digital transformation in many regions of the world. In Southeast Asia, this has driven unprecedented demand for online services in retail, digital payments, education and health. However, …
The Myanmar crisis and its fallout have become one of the greatest tests for ASEAN in its history. Doubts about the group’s relevance, credibility and utility have arisen over the past decade, largely because of …
As competition between the United States and China intensifies, Southeast Asia is becoming the key competitive arena. Australia’s engagement with the region is not only a matter of being a good neighbour; it’s a strategic …
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue has been the venue for the most visible foreign policy signalling on the Indo-Pacific from US President Joe Biden since he assumed office in January. In March, Biden convened the first …
As this year’s ASEAN chair, Brunei Darussalam finds itself operating in an increasingly precarious and unpredictable region. While Southeast Asia begins to heal from the Covid-19 pandemic that brought the region to a standstill for …
On 24 April, the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are expected to gather in Jakarta to sit down at the table with the leader of Myanmar’s military junta, Senior General Min Aung …
A year since the pandemic abruptly changed all aspects of our lives, how has Covid-19 affected Southeast Asia and what lessons can we draw at this point? Here I offer three key observations that provide …
The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted almost all aspects of life, and elections have been no exception. Across the world, elections in 2020 were conducted under the shadow of the pandemic, providing a stress test not …
Against all odds, Vietnam has concluded its chairmanship of ASEAN with the signing of the world’s largest trade agreement. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership of all 10 ASEAN members states and China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and …
By making Vietnam and Indonesia his first overseas ports of call, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga signalled that he intends to adhere closely to his predecessor Shinzo Abe’s ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ strategy. Seeing that occur …