Showing 1 - 10 of 2,162
Srettha Thavisin fell to hidden forces
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 30/08/2024
» Hindsight is likely to place Srettha Thavisin in Thai political annals as a prime minister who tried his best but ultimately succumbed to forces way beyond his control. While his nearly 12-month tenure in office came up short on policy deliverables, it nevertheless reset Thailand's foreign policy projection on Myanmar amid more omnidirectional relations with the major powers.
Dhaka's role in Myanmar's crisis
Oped, Published on 23/08/2024
» As Bangladesh ushers in a new era of leadership under Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, the world watches with hope and anticipation. His leadership, emerging from a period of student-led protests and political upheaval, symbolises a triumph of democracy and justice in a region long plagued by strife. But as Bangladesh looks inward to heal and rebuild, there is an urgent call for its new leadership to turn its gaze toward a neighbour in dire need -- Myanmar.
Lessons from Bangladesh's recent uprising
News, Published on 19/08/2024
» The popular insurrection that ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government offers important lessons for the international community. While the unrest was undoubtedly fuelled by the regime's repressive and increasingly anti-democratic tactics, the underlying causes of public discontent are often overlooked.
Kabul collapse emboldened global despots
News, Published on 16/08/2024
» The collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban three years ago on Aug 15 signalled an inflection point on the geopolitical scene. While the appalling stupidity of the Biden/Harris administration's botched and humiliating withdrawal of US forces from this South Asian land stained and sullied the reputation of the United States, the fiasco equally opened the floodgates to the deluge of refugees fleeing the toppled Afghan government in Kabul.
The deepening political turmoil in South Asia
Oped, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 15/08/2024
» Violent student-led, Islamist-backed protests in Bangladesh have toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government, and mob attacks targeting those viewed as supporters of her secular Awami League party -- in particular, the country's dwindling Hindu minority -- are proliferating. At a time when neighbouring Myanmar is engulfed in violence and the Pakistan-Afghanistan belt remains fertile ground for cross-border terrorism, political upheaval in Bangladesh, two years after the overthrow of Sri Lanka's government, is the last thing India, the regional power, needs.
New realities in Japan-Thailand ties
Oped, Kasit Piromya, Published on 15/08/2024
» If one were to review the existing relationship between two developed and developing countries throughout the world to determine which one was the most successful in terms of donor–recipient relationship, mutual respect, goodwill, and friendship, the Japan-Thailand partnership should be an answer that is most commonly cited.
No happy ending after Sheikh Hasina's downfall
News, Mihir Sharma, Published on 09/08/2024
» It might look like the replacement of Bangladesh's long-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is a happy ending for a country that seemed to be inexorably sliding towards authoritarianism. After all, Ms Hasina's rule had become so paranoid that she even burned political capital on persecuting Dr Yunus, widely feted for his role in rural development in Bangladesh and beyond. But, although Ms Hasina's exit was overdue, what comes after might wind up being worse.
France's West Sahara move a 'thunderclap'
Oped, Published on 08/08/2024
» In what's described as a thunderclap in French North African policy, the Paris government recognised Morocco's sovereignty over the long disputed Western Sahara, a region long contested by rival Algeria and a lingering subject of endless United Nations deliberations.
People power has won, for now
News, Published on 07/08/2024
» Sheikh Hasina could have left gracefully. Instead, Bangladesh's prime minister resigned and fled to neighbouring India, ending her 15-year-long rule as chaos has engulfed the nation. The army wasted no time stepping in to form an interim government, although what shape that will take is still unclear.
'Save Thap Lan' campaign just a ruse
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 12/07/2024
» The viral "Save Thap Lan" campaign on social media is probably the biggest hoax of the year. As simple as that.