Southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, but also ASEAN, are hedging toward both China and the United States. However, China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea may cause some countries, notably the Philippines, to reconsider their hedging strategy. Undermining the hedging behavior of Southeast Asian countries, however, will not improve the… Continue reading Southeast Asia’s grand strategy: hedging
Thailand’s working-age population could decline by around a fifth by 2050, but things are not as grim as they look. China’s demographics alone – even if you ignore its increasing marginalization from global trade, its dependency on food and energy imports, and President Xi Jinping’s utter gutting of the bureaucracy of anyone who might bring… Continue reading Some reasons not to panic about a Thai demographic collapse
The problem isn’t workers leaving. The problem is what’s happening to the youngsters who are replacing them. According to a recent World Bank report, the number of registered Laotian migrants in Thailand increased by 15 percent between June 2023 and February of this year. The total number, including unregistered migrants, is undoubtedly much higher. For some,… Continue reading Don’t worry too much about emigration from Laos
This is not the first time that regional opinion toward the U.S. has soured over events in the Middle East. This year’s annual State of Southeast Asia survey, from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, quite definitively showed that America’s popularity is waning in the region. Now it is in the hands of journalists and academics to debate… Continue reading Some Southeast Asians Are Turning Against America Over Gaza. It Likely Won’t Last.
A recent survey of regional elite opinion shows a surprising lack of regional concern about the country’s ongoing conflict. The ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s annual State of Southeast Asian survey dropped last week, heady times for an overstretched columnist. Not so positive, however, if you’re busy battling a barbarous military junta and are looking around for a bit… Continue reading Southeast Asians Don’t Really Care About the Myanmar Crisis
