1 day ago
South China Sea: The “transparency initiative” success is plain to see
But pressure on the Philippines means that its key partners must step up more.
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6 Aug 2024
A respite for the Sierra Madre, but Philippines-China tensions remain
A provisional understanding is just that. Much now depends on China’s behaviour and its record is not encouraging. -
5 Aug 2024
Marcos vs Duterte: Domestic politics meets grand strategy
Doubts linger regarding the longevity of Manila’s forward-leaning stance on regional security. -
18 Jul 2024
Philippines-Japan security pact puts China on notice
Though both nations recognise the indispensability of Washington, they are also hedging against future uncertainties. -
20 Jun 2024
Overcoming the deliberate legal ambiguity adopted by China’s coast guard
A new order is telling of Beijing’s selective and ongoing effort to undermine the law of the sea. -
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4 Jun 2024
Not in the same boat? Perceptions of the Australia-Philippines security partnership
The closer and growing defence ties between the countries doesn’t appear to have permeated the public mind yet. -
24 May 2024
The “Squad” is a welcome spin-off, but the Quad is the main game
India might not perfectly align with its partners in the minilateral group but its Indo-Pacific heft is much greater than that of the Philippines. -
9 May 2024
“Squad” goals: Consolidating the new quadrilateral partnership
With China flexing its muscle in the South China Sea, a revised grouping that includes the Philippines strikes a new balance. -
8 May 2024
The Philippines and the Digital Silk Road
China is shaping the emerging digital landscape in Southeast Asia, reflecting a wider competition. -
29 Apr 2024
Balikatan 2024: Philippines and friends send a clear signal to China
Drills will for the first time take place outside of the Philippines’ 12 nautical miles “territorial waters”, thus directly challenging China’s expansive claims across the South China Sea. -
5 Apr 2024
What should Australia be doing about the South China Sea?
While Australia’s interests are clear, its contribution is ambiguous. -
2 Apr 2024
A wave of US trilaterals sends a clear message to China
Revamped security groupings led by Washington, including with Manila and Tokyo, are the new normal. -
25 Mar 2024
The Philippines seeks out old friends and new
Beijing’s assertiveness means hedging is a luxury Manila can no longer afford. -
13 Mar 2024
Understanding China’s efforts to bridge the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait disputes
Regional problems are challenging enough without lumping them together. -
6 Feb 2024
Southeast Asian maritime security: Australia can help
Australia should support Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei in developing their maritime governance capacity to enhance their resilience against threats. -
22 Jan 2024
South China Sea: A formula for the Philippines
Manila should adopt a three-pronged response to Beijing's assertiveness. -
21 Dec 2023
Manila’s killing fields: Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on the poor
It’s best to not only take populists seriously, but also literally, especially when they threaten mass murder. -
14 Nov 2023
Japan’s new golden age in Southeast Asia
Tokyo’s recent geopolitical assertiveness cements its position as a regional security and economic powerhouse. -
25 Oct 2023
As the world looks elsewhere, China stirs trouble in the South China Sea
The Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times is already forecasting “more serious collisions”. -
13 Oct 2023
Australia must act fast on joint patrols with the Philippines
Australia “recommitted” two months ago. The Philippines is waiting, China is watching – and so is the region. -
20 Sep 2023
How China sees its conflict with the Philippines
Taiwan, the ten-dash line, and an ever-present US are driving a wedge between Manila and Beijing. -
1 Sep 2023
The Philippines and Australia: A new golden era of strategic relations?
Canberra’s defence ties with Manila have gone from strength to strength. Now it’s time to step up economic linkages. -
15 Aug 2023
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
An old idea for a regional network might hold the answer for energy demand into the future. -
9 Aug 2023
Overseas Filipino workers toil for the Marcos government’s bottom line
The Philippines relies on remittances to prop up the local economy. But the reports of abuses cannot be ignored. -
17 Jul 2023
It might be plastic fantastic, but Barbie lends cartoonish credibility to China’s nine-dash line
Barbie does her dash with Vietnam, showing how maps have meaning. -
14 Jul 2023
Despite the excitement, India’s South China Sea policy remains unchanged
Backing the Philippines over the 2016 arbitration award doesn’t mean India is about to abandon caution in efforts to balance China. -
28 Apr 2023
Marcos has turned the Philippines towards America – not without risks
An expanded US military presence will benefit efforts to stand up to China. But Filipinos are wary of the social cost. -
6 Apr 2023
China is its own worst enemy
Xi’s belligerence prompts classic balancing, an alignment among smaller states that would alone struggle to compete. -
27 Mar 2023
Philippines: The best friend for AUKUS in Southeast Asia
Manila has stood apart on Australia’s nuclear-powered subs deal as a sympathetic democracy seeking to balance China. -
15 Feb 2023
Reset in US–Philippines relations tells of yet another China fumble
The 180-degree reversal in Manila’s foreign policy was a consequent evolution of the previous regime’ approach. -
22 Dec 2022
The Interpreter 2022: Your most-read articles
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated the year. But readers also wanted to know all about Southeast Asia’s elections. -
6 Dec 2022
The US may force the Philippines’ (willing) hand
A visit by VP Kamala Harris has revitalised a military pact and shown how Bongbong Marcos views America’s regional role. -
4 Oct 2022
Philippines’ subs: the AUKUS inspiration
Manila can make its mark in the Indo-Pacific by choosing its friends, and its maritime deterrents, strategically. -
25 Aug 2022
A new Marcos gets down to business
After an easy election win, the Philippine president is facing challenges at home and abroad. -
16 Aug 2022
What the Philippines has at stake in Taiwan
Strategic choices by Manila will matter to Washington and Beijing. -
9 Aug 2022
ICC pushes probe on the Philippines’ drug war
President Marcos’ decision not to participate in an international investigation is a setback for human rights. -
26 Jul 2022
Bongbong Marcos tries the balancing act with Beijing and Washington
The new president might talk up China ties, but relations with the United States appear to be on the mend. -
9 Jun 2022
Thailand seeking to profit from a global food crisis
The war in Ukraine has highlighted weaknesses in Thailand’s policymaking and prompted cartel behaviour … again. -
18 May 2022
Philippines: justice and accountability, post elections
Dealing with the deadly legacy of the Duterte and Marcos eras will become that much more complicated under “Bongbong”. -
13 May 2022
What a Marcos Jr presidency in the Philippines means for geopolitics
A policy-free campaign in Asia’s oldest democracy results in a guessing game in the region for where next. -
12 Apr 2022
China’s nine-dash line proves stranger than fiction
How Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea have crept imperceptibly into global popular culture. -
5 Apr 2022
Bongbong Marcos closes in on the Philippines presidency
A significant polling lead for the late dictator’s son reveals a political resurrection and a fragile democracy. -
28 Mar 2022
How the Marcos family could rule again in the Philippines
In a country where the average age is 25, has collective memory been washed of the nation’s iron-fisted kleptocrat? -
25 Mar 2022
Stiffening the ASEAN spine in the South China Sea
Any “minilateral” grouping among Southeast Asian nations must be mindful of its internal contradictions. -
7 Feb 2022
Philippine elections and the politics behind it
Filipino voters go to the polls to choose who will govern them but not necessarily how they will be governed. -
24 Dec 2021
Filipino journalists can only take risks equal to their protections
The reporters most vulnerable to life-threatening harm are either low-profile or based in provinces – especially both. -
10 Dec 2021
Duterte is playing both sides
Whether in relations with the United States or China, the Philippines remains a plaything in power politics. -
1 Dec 2021
Philippines: diagnosing the infodemic
Fake news is harder to spot than ever. Young voters need to get savvy before the country’s 2022 election. -
2 Nov 2021
Filipino migrants are agents of change
Stereotypes tell of disenfranchised labour. But the experience of people abroad can seed change at home, too.