By Amy Searight — In this two-part series, Dr. Amy Searight, senior adviser and director of the CSIS Southeast Asia Program, previews five key issues to watch in Southeast Asia in 2020. This installment addresses U.S.-ASEAN relations, climate change and…
By Monica Michiko Sato — Since assuming office in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte has been under the scrutiny of the international community not only for his unconventional politicking style, but also for his unpredictable policies. Given the often-contradicting statements from…
By Nguyen Thanh Trung — The award by the permanent court of arbitration in the Philippines-China case over the South China Sea is two years past, but its effect remains in doubt. When the arbitral tribunal’s decision came out, it…
By Geoffrey Hartman — Indonesian president Joko Widodo — commonly known as “Jokowi” — in early August addressed criticism that his government is taking an authoritarian turn with a joke, asking the crowd at speeches in East Jakarta and Solo:…
By Gregory Poling & Geoffrey Hartman — The Seventh Annual CSIS South China Sea Conference on July 18 brought together security, legal, and environmental experts to review events of the past year. The participants had a lot of ground to…
In this episode we discuss power and conflict in Southeast Asia with Michael Vatikiotis. While inter-state conflict has been minimal in recent years, countries around Southeast Asia face challenges in the form of unresolved insurgencies, simmering ethnic conflicts, and illiberal…
By Geoffrey Hartman — The ongoing battle for Marawi City — the capital of Lanao del Sur Province on the island of Mindanao — between Philippine government forces and Islamic militants with links to the Islamic State of Iraq and…
By Renato Cruz De Castro — While covering the bloody street-to-street fighting between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and militants allied to the Islamic State Group, an Associated Press photographer took pictures of a U.S.-Navy P3 Orion circling…
By Jonathan D. London — The visit to Washington by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (it rhymes with book) of Vietnam on May 30-31 will occur amid levels of political tumult not seen in the United States since the Nixon…
By Victor Andres “Dindo” C. Manhit — With all the change in the Philippines’ foreign relations, there is something to be said for going back to basics: understanding the foundations of our alliance, what it has accomplished, and its possible…
