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Southeast Asia
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Fall of Singapore 80 years on: lessons transcend time and place
The local lessons from the dramatic defeat of British and Commonwealth forces at the hands of the Japanese in 1942 have been well learned and internalised. But as Euan Graham writes, eighty years on, there are still wider lessons to be gleaned that transcend time and place.
Will Green Parties rise in Southeast Asia?
Greens often prosper in federal systems, in richer countries with service-based economies, in situations where environmental issues are part of mainstream political debates, and in electorates with large numbers of young, highly-educated members drawn from the middle class. If this is the case, then Southeast Asia may eventually see the rise of its own green movement, writes Michael Schaper.
Bring Sean Turnell home
A year after Australian academic Sean Turnell was arrested in Myanmar following the military coup, his fate within a politically controlled and opaque judicial system remains uncertain. Charlotte Galloway argues fresh diplomatic approaches might be required to secure his release.
Southeast Asia’s New-Old Cold War
Southeast Asia stands to be the region most strongly impacted by the superpower tussle between the US and China. As Thitinan Pongsudhirak writes, a "new cold war" will see the region become increasingly divide over what China stands for.
The competing public commentary on Myanmar
A year after the coup that restored the military to power in Myanmar, Andrew Selth finds that two schools of analysis have taken root – one optimistic, the other pessimistic. But regardless of the perspective, he argues effective responses to the military takeover call for “accurate information, open minds, and clear thinking”.