Showing 1 - 10 of 18
Navigating between global superpowers
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 14/02/2026
» Both China and the US issued new national security policies over the past year. At first glance, they seem to diverge markedly, portending a deep rupture in the world order. Yet, they may also bear some similarities in terms of self-interest and self-advancement. Collateral to that, other countries seeking to forge a middle path may wish to navigate a perspicacious route towards global equilibrium.
Vitalising pathways for Thai-US ties
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 30/08/2025
» Tariffs have certainly been in the news lately, in the face of exponential increases imposed by the US on other parts of the world.
Supporting women as bridge-builders
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 28/03/2025
» How is the situation of women's rights and their role as bridge-builders today, connecting the multilateral and local settings? A recent seminar at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted by its International Studies Center, elaborated upon the situation in a world that is witnessing tumultuous changes.
Anti-torture push needs serious review
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 06/01/2025
» Back in 2007, the government agreed to be a party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, otherwise known as the "CAT".
Reimagining human rights and China?
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 23/09/2024
» Should human rights be reimagined, especially in the context of China? From one angle, the answer is obvious. Plenty of norms are already agreed upon globally without the need for reimagination, and China is part of that universality. Yet given the situation on the ground level and the evolving nature of human rights, there might be room for some innovative reimagination, and this deserves balanced reflection.
Deep dive into Indo-Pacific dreamscape
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 02/08/2024
» Is the term "Indo-Pacific" an illusion? Or is it a defined concept, a geographical configuration, a channel for connectivity, and/or a confining strategy? Perhaps it embodies an all-embracing blend, waiting for the onlooker to dive deep into political undercurrents. It may also be time to move beyond the landscape and the seascape and even leave the dreamscape behind.
Towards a global summit of the future?
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 19/06/2023
» If international plans are on course, there will be a global Summit of the Future (SOF) in 2024 at the UN General Assembly. Given that 2023 is already witnessing various global activities for the 30-year milestone of the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, as well as a summit on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), what could be the value-added of the SOF? And perhaps the value-subtracted?
Overcoming statelessness in Thailand
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 05/06/2023
» There are about 500,000 stateless people in Thailand, of whom over 100,000 are children. Recently, various national agencies, supported by UNHCR and Unicef, hosted a national consultation on statelessness. It was a timely opportunity to identify preferred directions.
Lessons from the Khmer Rouge tribunal
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 18/02/2023
» One of the saddest episodes of Southeast Asian history was the period during the 1970s that witnessed the rule of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The group was driven by a warped ideology, and it perpetrated myriad crimes against the general population. Millions were killed and displaced through a range of atrocities. Decades later, an internationally supported tribunal, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), or the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, was set up to prosecute the leaders of the group, and it is now ending its work. What are some of the key lessons the global community can learn from this?
Ukraine, the UN and the ties that bind
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 21/01/2023
» The United Nations (UN) represents the pinnacle of the post-Second World War system. But just how effective is it today in the face of the crisis facing Ukraine, triggered by its next door neighbour Russia?