Region
Southeast Asia
The Emerging Contours of Saudi-Emirati Competition in Southeast Asia
By Timothy Bettis
The two gulf states' growing diplomatic and economic outreach to the region is beginning to develop a competitive dynamic.
Cambodian Microfinance’s High Repayment Rates Are Built on Misery, Research Finds
By David Whitehouse
Boosters of microfinance claim that it can rescue people from rapacious informal lenders. That’s not the case in Cambodia.
Military-Aligned Border Guard Forces Defect in Southeastern Myanmar
By Sebastian Strangio
Local media reported that two Border Guard Forces, formed by the military in 2009, had joined resistance attacks on junta outposts in Kayah State.
Cracks Are Appearing in Thailand’s Pro-Democracy Coalition
By Tita Sanglee
Beneath a facade of unity, the country's two main opposition parties continue to jostle for advantage.
Cambodia Amends Election Law, Disqualifying Non-Voting Candidates
By Sebastian Strangio
The amendment is intended to prevent a boycott of the July 23 election, which could undermine the planned handover of power from Prime Minister Hun Sen to his son.
Malaysia Sues Meta Over ‘Undesirable’ Content on Facebook
By Sebastian Strangio
The decision comes amid a rise in racial and religious online rhetoric as the country moves toward important state elections.
Heyzer’s Exit Marks a Low Point for the UN’s Envoys to Myanmar
By Mark S. Cogan
Why the recently departed special envoy should be the last.
Snares and Traps: Thai Politics After the May Election
By Punchada Sirivunnabood
If the victorious Move Forward Party is unable to garner the votes to form the country's next government, an alternative is lurking in the wings.
The Weakest Link: Securing Critical Undersea Infrastructure in ASEAN
By Lucas Snarski
The lack of a regional plan for securing this vital infrastructure leaves Southeast Asian nations vulnerable to disruptions, accidental and otherwise.
US Aircraft Carrier to Visit Vietnam Amid South China Sea Tensions
By Sebastian Strangio
The six-day friendship visit by the USS Ronald Reagan comes a year after Vietnam canceled a similar planned exchange.
Malaysia Charges Four Men Over Mass Graves and Trafficking Camps
By Sebastian Strangio
The charges relate to the discovery of more than 100 bodies in mass graves in the Thailand-Malaysia border region in 2015.
Barangay Elections in the Bangsamoro: A Crucial Test for the Future of the BARMM
By Cheng Xu and Jacques Bertrand
Upcoming local elections in the BARMM, an autonomous region in the southern Philippines, will have implications for the 2025 Bangsamoro parliamentary election and the region's future stability.