Recent Commentary
Great power manipulation riddles United Nations
In October 2023, Russia and China made headlines due to their actions in the United Nations (UN). The UN Security Council rejected a Russia-sponsored resolution on Gaza that did not mention Hamas. Moscow failed to…
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Tourism Aside, Thailand Should Look to India for Broader Economic Cooperation
Thailand has yet to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The tourism-dependent economy shaken by severe border restrictions saw arrivals slowing to a near standstill. When borders began to open in 2021, the Kingdom saw…
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ISOC Once Again Puts Thailand’s Government Between the People and the Military
Last week, Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin made his first visit to the headquarters of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) at Ruen Ruedi Palace in Bangkok. In addition to serving as prime minister and finance minister,…
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Modi Fans the Flames of Hindu Nationalism over Israel
It wasn’t long after Hamas attacked an innocent Israeli civilian population, and in the process killing many foreigners and taking as many as 240 hostage, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came out with a…
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A Bad Idea Revisited: Thailand Pitches Prayut’s ‘Land Bridge’ to Beijing
A very old idea has resurfaced in Thailand. In a direct pitch to Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Chinese investors at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) held in Beijing last week, Thai Prime Minister Srettha…
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In Southeast Asia, Hamas-Israel conflict forces a balancing act
While the conflict between Hamas and Israel has polarized public opinion, its effects on foreign policy in Southeast Asia have been minimal, for now. Reflective of ASEAN’s religious and cultural diversity, countries in the region…
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No Media Lessons Learned From Thailand’s Siam Paragon Tragedy
In one of the worst acts of gun violence in Thailand in recent memory, a 14-year-old gunman opened fire at Siam Paragon, a high-end shopping mall in the heart of Bangkok, killing two innocent young…
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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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