Recent Commentary
Joe Biden Fails the Test on Economics, Climate Change, and More
Joe Biden should not be renominated by the Democratic Party in 2024, particularly when there are other potential Democrats who could perform well against any Republican rival. Of course, President Biden would do well in…
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ASEAN takes small steps towards solidarity, even if they may not come to much
Last week’s Asean summit in Jakarta came at a time when the geopolitical environment in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific continues to worsen with the growing polarisation of power. Aside from the challenges to its centrality vis-à-vis…
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Srettha’s First Foreign Policy Mistake: Passing on the ASEAN Summit
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is in crisis and it appears that key foreign leaders, despite the twin challenges of Myanmar and the South China Sea, are passing on this week’s ASEAN Summit…
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What Biden Forgets in Skipping the ASEAN Summit
Leaders of the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) states are meeting in Jakarta between now and September 7, with the 10-member bloc under fire from two major fronts—the lingering crisis in Myanmar that…
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BRICS Expansion: India’s Tragic Mistake
The BRICS bloc of emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – have agreed to expand the grouping’s global reach with the addition of six new members as of January 1: Argentina,…
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Who Wants to Talk? Communication Difficulties Constrain Japan-China Relations
In what has become a common occurrence in both the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, Russian Il-38 information-gathering aircraft were found flying too close to Japan for Tokyo’s comfort, who scrambled fighter jets…
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Growing Japan-Italy Ties Emphasize Tokyo’s Pressing Need for Assistance
In May, Italy’s Chief of Defense Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone gave a speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. in which he warned of the inevitable rise of militaries in…
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The Past Holds Clues to Thailand’s Foreign Policy under Pheu Thai
Predictions of a foreign policy reset following the upset of Thailand’s long-dominant conservative establishment in the May 2023 election have proved to be premature. The junta-appointed Senate, permitted by the Kingdom’s 2017 Constitution, has stonewalled Pita Limjaroenrat,…
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India’s Foreign Policy Progress in Sri Lanka is a Strategic Setback for China
It was only a year ago that Sri Lanka dominated international headlines, as its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years contributed to severe domestic strife, including deadly riots, and severe shortages of fuel, food and critical…
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Pita Touches the “Third Rail” of Thai Politics
If you touch it, you die. That’s the supposed result for politicians who confront highly contentious issues. Likened to grasping the “third rail,” the one that provides the electricity that powers a train or subway,…
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