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  • 1 day ago
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Malaysia
    • Southeast Asia
    • Thailand
    • Australia
    • Australia and Asia

    China’s rise in Southeast Asia is bringing in a golden age for Australia

    Susannah Patton
    Disquiet about Beijing’s growing presence is motivating countries across the region to seek deeper cooperation with Canberra.
  • 2 Aug 2024
    • Asean
    • Malaysia
    • BRICS

    Will Malaysia build ASEAN with BRICS?

    Shankaran Nambiar
    As the next chair of the Southeast Asian grouping, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will likely share the concerns of his new BRICS partners.
  • 21 Jun 2024
    • Malaysia
    • BRICS

    Malaysia: Pushing the chips in on neutrality

    Peter Brian M. Wang , Rahul Mishra
    Growing US-China rivalry is not turning the Southeast Asian nation from a tradition of non-alignment.
  • 18 Jun 2024
    • Asia
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Thailand
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Transnational Challenges

    The carbon sinks of Southeast Asia are in trouble

    Mohd. Yunus
    Global demand for palm oil and paper is threatening a fragile peatland ecosystem. International cooperation is needed now.
  • 30 May 2024
    • Asean
    • India
    • Malaysia
    • Southeast Asia

    Does India’s Act East Policy matter to Southeast Asia?

    Yanitha Meena Louis , Jaideep Singh
    Ties with Malaysia make a powerful case study to assess regional ties with the South Asian giant. But others are doing better.
  • 23 May 2024
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia: The Sarawak secession?

    James Chin
    The Borneo state has won greater autonomy and holds all the cards for more concessions.
  • 28 Mar 2024
    • India
    • Malaysia

    India: What a Modi win means for relations with Malaysia

    Yanitha Meena Louis
    Shared strategic future can no longer rely on “silence” as response to contentious issues.
  • 21 Mar 2024
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • New Zealand

    New Zealand and ASEAN: Focusing on what’s right under its nose

    Orson Tan
    As a country at the end of the global supply chain, New Zealand depends on the stability of Southeast Asia.
  • 7 Feb 2024
    • Asean
    • Asia Pacific Security
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australia's Economy
    • Defence & Security

    The role of Singapore, Malaysia and Australia in ASEAN centrality

    Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman
    Cooperation, especially on security and the economy, is key to countering pressure from outside the bloc.
  • 20 Dec 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Australia
    • Environment

    The great offshore decommissioning

    Selwyn Parker
    More than 70 per cent of the world’s oil and gas production comes via ageing infrastructure rapidly approaching an economic limit.
  • 2 Oct 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • South China Sea
    • Coronavirus
    • International law
    • Transnational Challenges

    The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19

    Jade Lindley , Dhiyaul Aulia Huda
    Poverty, institutional incapacity and budget cuts fuelled a surge in pandemic piracy. The lessons are many.
  • 19 Sep 2023
    • China
    • Malaysia
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia

    No neutrality in espionage: Why is Malaysia tangled up in a spying case in Norway?

    Munira Mustaffa
    Asking the Kremlin would be a good start.
  • 11 Sep 2023
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia at 60: One country, three visions

    James Chin
    Islamist rule, the secular status quo or a state within a state – the future of Malaysia looks shaky.
  • 15 Aug 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Energy

    Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality

    Massita Ayu Cindy Putriastuti , Nadira Asrifa
    An old idea for a regional network might hold the answer for energy demand into the future.
  • 28 Feb 2023
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia’s Anwar steps out abroad to bolster his standing at home

    Valerie Rozman , Drake Tien
    The new PM has thrown himself into travel to raise Malaysia’s profile on regional challenges after years of turmoil.
  • 1 Feb 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Taiwan

    Indonesia gets the ball rolling on domestic worker rights

    Ratih Kabinawa , Pamungkas A. Dewanto
    Jakarta’s call to legislate its informal workforce should be a model for all countries that receive migrant workers.
  • 22 Dec 2022
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines
    • Defence & Security
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Administration

    The Interpreter 2022: Your most-read articles

    The Interpreter
    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated the year. But readers also wanted to know all about Southeast Asia’s elections.  
  • 1 Dec 2022
    • Malaysia

    Anwar’s victory not the only Malaysian shockwave

    Amy Chew
    A dramatic rise in the Islamist vote in the Muslim-majority country is the biggest outcome of the election.
  • 15 Nov 2022
    • Malaysia

    Malaysian Chinese community to shape national poll

    Qi Siang Ng
    Electoral mathematics means politicians are faced with a choice between communal politics and multiculturalism.
  • 15 Nov 2022
    • Malaysia
    • Myanmar
    • Human rights
    • Migration
    • United Nations

    Refugees may become victims of Malaysia’s electoral politics

    Max Walden
    The plight of Myanmar Rohingyas exposes Southeast Asia’s disjointed policies and fragile human rights protections.
  • 4 Aug 2022
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia

    Does ASEAN really need an official “second language”?

    Muhammad Ersan Pamungkas
    Privileging one voice over another in Southeast Asia would be a mistake.
  • 27 Jul 2022
    • Malaysia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Review

    Semut: Australia’s secret war against the Japanese in Borneo

    Henry Storey
    A reconstruction of incomplete archives reveals one of Australia’s most audacious independent special forces operations.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • South China Sea
    • Singapore
    • China
    • Malaysia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • United Kingdom

    Answering China’s South China Sea flying safety challenge

    Peter Layton
    A regional response can best manage risks, and the Five Power Defence Arrangement offers just the mechanism.
  • 6 Jun 2022
    • Thailand
    • Malaysia
    • China – Belt and Road Initiative

    Proceed with caution: high-speed rail for Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur

    Wu Shang-Su
    The potential connectivity benefits for two of Asia’s big cities are huge. The obstacles are many.
  • 12 Apr 2022
    • Maritime Security
    • China
    • Vietnam
    • Philippines
    • Malaysia

    China’s nine-dash line proves stranger than fiction

    Bec Strating
    How Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea have crept imperceptibly into global popular culture.
  • 25 Mar 2022
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Vietnam
    • Philippines
    • Malaysia

    Stiffening the ASEAN spine in the South China Sea

    Arrizal Jaknanihan
    Any “minilateral” grouping among Southeast Asian nations must be mindful of its internal contradictions.
  • 9 Jun 2021
    • Asean
    • China
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia – and no Southeast Asian nation – should be bullied by China

    Jason Lim
    An incursion by Chinese aircraft into Malaysian airspace is yet another reminder of Beijing’s belligerence.
  • 23 Apr 2021
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia’s political turmoil has an economic cost

    Alyssa Leng , Roland Rajah
    With parliament suspended and a pandemic-induced shock, necessary and serious reform seems a long way off.
  • 22 Mar 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • North Korea
    • Malaysia

    North Korea and Malaysia’s predictable diplomatic divorce

    James Chin
    Pyongyang is sending a message in typically overbearing style. But the target is as much the US as it is Malaysia.
  • 18 Jan 2021
    • Malaysia
    • Coronavirus

    Resisting uncertainty, Malaysia is finding itself

    Shankaran Nambiar
    Covid-19 has turbocharged Malaysia’s already fractious politics – and that’s flowing into the country’s economy.
  • 9 Dec 2020
    • Malaysia
    • Review

    Favourites of 2020: Minister of Finance Incorporated

    Alyssa Leng
    To grasp Malaysia’s infamous 1MDB scandal means understanding the elaborate ecosystem of government-linked companies.
  • 20 Aug 2020
    • Malaysia
    • Technology
    • Coronavirus

    In Malaysia’s Covid “infodemic”, crime is all too easy

    Harris Zainul
    A crackdown on the spreading of false information is unfair if people don’t have the means to spot it.
  • 19 Aug 2020
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • China
    • Pakistan
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Türkiye
    • Malaysia

    As Pakistan and Saudi Arabia drift apart, China moves in

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    A growing schism between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan points to new alliances in the Muslim world.
  • 4 Aug 2020
    • Malaysia

    The Najib verdict and the test of Malaysia’s institutions

    Alyssa Leng
    Tough punishment will be a deterrent only if paired with a credible threat of prosecution and impartial judgement.
  • 27 May 2020
    • Asylum seekers and refugees
    • Myanmar
    • Migration
    • Malaysia
    • Human rights

    Rohingya in Malaysia, doubly trapped

    JJ Rose
    Panics have a way of seeking out victims, and the Rohingya in Malaysia have been easy targets during the pandemic.
  • 8 May 2020
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia needs a shadow cabinet to check an amateurish government

    Chin-Huat Wong
    Covid-19 has exposed Malaysian politics as a scramble for self-interest. There is a better way.
  • 5 Mar 2020
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia is now in uncharted waters

    Amy Chew
    With an Islamist party now in government agitating for social curbs, the way of life in a secular nation is at stake.
  • 28 Jan 2020
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Vietnam
    • Malaysia

    Forging consensus in the South China Sea

    Michael Nguyen
    By backing each other’s claims, a united Southeast Asian front would be difficult for Beijing to divide and conquer.
  • 4 Dec 2019
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • Myanmar
    • Malaysia

    In conversation: Malaysia’s Foreign Minister on great power rivalry

    Ben Bland
    From the South China Sea to the Rohingya crisis, Saifuddin Abdullah speaks to Lowy’s Ben Bland on Asia’s big challenges.
  • 22 Nov 2019
    • Malaysia

    Ultimate Game of Thrones in Malaysia

    James Chin
    However the latest political scramble unfolds, Anwar Ibrahim will not get a chance to be PM and real change is in doubt.
  • 30 Oct 2019
    • Asia
    • United States
    • China
    • Malaysia

    Towards a peaceful and inclusive Asia

    Chin Tong Liew
    Resurrecting the idea of “Asia” can help give smaller states agency to guide China as a responsible and benign giant.
  • 29 Oct 2019
    • Malaysia

    Messy is the new order: Succession time in Malaysia

    Ooi Kok Hin
    Rather than a personality rivalry between Mahathir and Anwar, a wider decentralisation of political power is underway.
  • 25 Sep 2019
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia’s dangerous racial and religious trajectory

    Amy Chew
    <p>Identity politics has turned&nbsp;inflammatory as Malaysia’s former ruling party tries to claw back support.</p>
  • 6 Sep 2019
    • India
    • Malaysia

    A fugitive preacher ignites controversy in Malaysia

    Max Walden
    The government’s shielding of Zakir Naik tests PM Mahathir Mohamad’s commitment to equal rights and democratic values.
  • 22 Aug 2019
    • Malaysia

    In Malaysia, flipping over the script

    Ooi Kok Hin
    Proposed changes to a school textbook have sparked a public debate that goes to the heart of national identity.
  • 29 Jul 2019
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia’s Mahathir has no interest in building a dynasty

    Amy Chew
    <p>Speculation Mukhriz Mahathir could take over&nbsp;from his father is just that –&nbsp;Anwar Ibrahim is anointed.</p>
  • 19 Jul 2019
    • Malaysia

    Mahathir holds all the cards, again

    James Chin
    A bitter rift over sex claims between would-be successors has again shown the ugly side of Malaysia’s politics.
  • 18 Jul 2019
    • Asia
    • Indonesia
    • Thailand
    • Philippines
    • Malaysia
    • Southeast Asia

    After the voting, personality beats policy in Southeast Asia

    Greg Earl
    Malaysia is not the only country consumed by speculation about who takes over from a conspicuous and captivating leader.
  • 28 Jun 2019
    • Malaysia

    Why Mahathir is unlikely to make Anwar his successor

    Qi Siang Ng
    Few thought the then 92-year-old return PM would be anything but a charismatic seat-warmer – except the man himself.
  • 7 Jun 2019
    • Malaysia

    Mahathir’s tilt to China smooths the way for Beijing in Southeast Asia

    Shankaran Nambiar
    Always known as a fiercely non-aligned leader, Malaysia’s Prime Minister has changed his tune on the Belt and Road.
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