Politics
-
New Kid on the Bloc: Timor-Leste and the Future of ASEAN
ASEAN is at a pivotal geopolitical crossroads – global powers such as the US and China jostle for influence in Southeast Asia, with the organization often finding itself on the short end of the stick. Timor-Leste stands at the heart of it all, where the nation is on the brink…
-
May Fourth and Modern China: Nationalism, Memory, and the CCP’s Security State
What kind of country is China going to become? China continues to dominate headlines and remains a central focus for policymakers, analysts, and commentators in the West. Yet, scholarly opinions are more divided than ever on how to address the so-called “China Challenge.” As China grows markedly more powerful—while maintaining…
-
Crosscurrents in Manila: 2025 Midterms and the New Geopolitical Order
The 2025 Philippine midterm elections, held on May 12, are more than a routine contest for Senate and House seats; the vote is widely seen as a referendum on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration. It takes place amid a high-profile rift between Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte, former allies…
-
The China-Laos Railway and the Price of Connectivity: Unequal Partners in a “Win-Win” Project
Despite its “win-win” branding as a flagship Belt and Road link transforming Laos from “land-locked” to “land-linked,” the China–Laos Railway has deepened asymmetric power dynamics. Thousands of Laotian families have been displaced, Laos’ 30 % ownership stake was financed by onerous Chinese loans that trap it in debt, and both…
-
An Insignificant Sympathy: Assessing Overseas Chinese Influence Operations in Malaysia
Over the last two decades, analysts have increasingly described the PRC’s “Qiaowu” as the “largest diasporic influence operation in history,” with increasingly alarmist examples of the Overseas Chinese manipulating local politics in Europe, the US, and Australia. In the case of Malaysia, the Overseas Chinese exhibit contradictory tendencies. On one…
Sino-Southeast Initiative 