ASEAN has pushed to keep Southeast Asia out of the nuclear weapons race. However, with growing military interference from international actors, Southeast Asian countries may reconsider the choice in order to ensure their security.
While malaria cases have risen elsewhere in the world, in the Asia-Pacific region, governments have set an example by reducing its spread. However, COVID-19 threatens to undo some of that work, particularly within ASEAN.
A new deal gives China control of Laos’ power grid as the country faces looming debt from hydropower dams and other development projects. But the arrangement risks turning “the battery of Southeast Asia” into “the battery of China.”
A new report details the extent to which the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the region’s stock markets and how quickly those markets have started to recover. It offers some insight into how the region’s markets might handle future shocks.
While India has stepped up its engagements with ASEAN in the past few years, there remains a clear disparity between its links with different countries. It could address this by boosting its ties with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
The Swiss government has pledged financial support for disaster relief and resilience across Asia. Southeast Asian nations will benefit from the commitment to enhance life-saving early warning systems.
Russia’s status as a major arms supplier in Southeast Asia will have a significant impact on the region’s geopolitical landscape.
As schooling shifts online amid the COVID-19 crisis, there is a dire need for a more holistic approach to internet policymaking. Unless governments provide key internet services, education gaps will widen in Southeast Asia.
In Laos, the push for hydropower near the ancient capital of Luang Prabang shows that plans to dam the Mekong River basin are already going awry. But rather than learning from its missteps, the government—with the help of Thai and Vietnamese developers—is going ahead with a dam that could endanger a UNESCO World Heritage city.
Two years after a dam in southern Laos collapsed, displacing thousands, the country’s hydropower gold rush continues. As the companies and governments involved refuse to take responsibility for what happened, Laos still pins its hopes on hydropower without addressing the risks.