Showing 1 - 10 of 43
US tariff shock upsides for Asean
Oped, Published on 24/04/2025
» 'Let the dust from the White House settle first," said former Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon in an interview with Korean media. A Southeast Asian figure I met during an Asean Regional Forum (ARF) Experts and Eminent Persons (EEPs) meeting held recently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, expressed a similar sentiment.
Bimstec to put regional ties to the test
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 25/03/2025
» On April 4, leaders from the seven countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal will converge in Bangkok to chart a common future amid dramatic shifts in the global geopolitical landscape.
Rebooting the Asean Regional Forum
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 23/07/2024
» When Asean foreign ministers met in Singapore in 1994, they all concurred that dialogue and consultations on political and security issues among major powers and Asean members would be essential in preserving peace and stability in the Asean region. A year later, the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) held its inaugural meeting, which took place in Bangkok and had 18 members, including the Asean 10.
Bimstec: A new force of the Global South
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 25/07/2023
» All of a sudden, the countries around the Bay of Bengal are coming to the fore and raising their profiles. They know full well that this vast maritime enclave, with its plentiful resources and potential benefits, is another important strategic landscape. So, it is better to get their act together.
Fostering agency where it counts
Oped, Published on 15/06/2023
» The gap between the resources needed to achieve net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050 and the resources that are available currently amounts to trillions of dollars and is still growing.
What will Asean be like come 2045?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/04/2023
» It is now official: the Asean Community's Post 2025 vision will be extended by another ten years from 2035 to 2045. Asean Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn revealed the 20-year vision in Bangkok last week, much to the surprise of diplomats and the local audience. The decision was taken at the 7th meeting of the High-Level Task Force on the Asean Community's Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV) in March 19-20 in Belitung, Indonesia.
Bill Nighy, master of misdirection
Sunday Spotlight, Published on 29/01/2023
» British actor Bill Nighy was trying to describe how he prepared for his character in the new drama Living. He plays Mr Williams, a buttoned-up, almost catatonically reticent bureaucrat in post-World War II London who, upon learning that he is dying, decides finally to live.
Pondering Asean's future beyond 2025
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/04/2022
» Beyond 2025, what will Asean be like? Will the grouping become less relevant as many political pundits often predict? What are existential threats to Asean? Is Asean going to expand its membership? How can we make Asean a more inclusive organisation? Can Asean make effective decisions faster in response to a crisis? Will Asean be able to navigate the competition between the superpowers?
Thais leaving their mark in the law
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 20/12/2021
» In 2021 Thailand benefited from at least two good pieces of news in regard to international law, a subject closely interlinked with international relations.
Brunei's chairmanship is truly Asean
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 27/07/2021
» By default, Brunei's Asean chairmanship has brought into the open the bloc's strengths and weaknesses for all to see due to political disruption within the region. Throughout its 54 years of existence, Asean has been chastised and belittled as a talk-only-no-decision institution. Given the current environment, its success in maintaining regional sustainable peace and development for the past five decades nevertheless has become little more than a cliché.