Showing 1 - 10 of 14
Is Asean now a new 'balancing wheel'?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 15/07/2025
» Last week's Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting reflects its continued relevance in an increasingly unstable world. Amid US unilateralism and US President Donald Trump's tariff nationalism, Asean has reasserted itself as a balancing wheel -- a stabilising force on which its dialogue partners can still depend.
Thai-EU free trade deal on the horizon
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/04/2024
» If everything goes as planned, Thailand and the EU could sign a free trade agreement by mid-next year, in what is another example of the European Union's increasing engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
New playbook for Thai diplomacy?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/09/2023
» The Srettha government has started outlining its policies in parliament. Regarding diplomacy and internal policies, two paragraphs in the middle of the draft speech encapsulate the guiding principle of Thailand's new diplomatic trajectory.
Lessons from Hun Sen's Cambodia
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/08/2023
» If international relations experts and scholars want to study a small state's diplomatic manoeuvres amid the ever-changing geopolitical landscape, they should make Cambodia their case study. With a new prime minister, Hun Manet, now in charge, the question remains: Will he be able to keep up with his father's multipolar politics?
Russia's war and its regional impact
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 29/03/2022
» Last week in Brussels, US President Joe Biden suggested that Russia should be removed from the Group of Twenty, or G20 as it is more commonly known, the economic forum of industrialised and developing countries. He reiterated that with the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war, it could not be business as usual for Russia in international institutions and the international community. Mr Biden's comment sent a shockwave through Asean capitals. During the second and third week of November, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand are hosting different summits with Russia, as a key member, along with China and the US and its allies. These meetings are the G20, East Asia Summit and Apec leaders' meeting. They could be two hubristic weeks of summits.
Thailand must rethink its quarantine
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 11/08/2020
» Thailand's future might well be in danger if the government does not take urgent action to recalibrate its anti-pandemic policies. All the excellent measures the concerned authorities, as well as the public, have taken in mitigating the coronavirus over the past six months could easily turn against them. Thailand could emerge from Covid-19 with more disgruntled Thais including those who were repatriated. Worse, there will likely be additional unhappy foreign countries including their diplomats and citizens who have encountered discriminatory actions, some of which have gone against the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Covid Catch-22: Saving lives or rights?
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 07/04/2020
» Faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, several countries have given special powers to their leaders, regardless of the political system in place, to ensure that they can manage and fight the virus efficiently and in a timely manner. There is a high level of anxiety and fear, however, that these special powers, once granted, will be misused in the name of fighting the pandemic. Worse still, in certain countries there is a strong possibility that the special powers might continue and subsequently become a permanent feature in the months and years to come.
Cambodia can swing Asean-EU ties
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/12/2019
» As the host of the upcoming 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) next November, Cambodia could be by default the catalyst that will define the future of Asean-EU relations -- for better or worse. At this juncture, it is a toss-up because the EU is contemplating various measures to reprimand Cambodia for its political oppression, land grabbing and disrespect of the human rights of politicians, labour unions, media and farmers. Rubbing salt into the wounds, Cambodia with its close friendship with China has added an extra-thick layer of anxieties among the EU strategists.
Why Germany is seeking deeper ties with Asean
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 15/10/2019
» With supersonic speed in terms of the decision and process, Germany will accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in around two weeks' time. If everything goes as planned on the German side, which requires cabinet endorsement, there will be a signing ceremony in Bangkok during the 35th Asean Summit from Oct 31-Nov 2. Bahrain will also join the ceremony.
China's BRI push marred by trust deficit
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 02/04/2019
» As China's economic and political clout grows by the day, Europe finds it increasingly difficult to develop an overall approach with dual objectives -- one that does not undermine its unity or upset its ally across the Atlantic, the US. Some European Union members want to take a tougher stand against China due to its limited market access, while others are concerned about possible security threats posed by China's sophisticated 5G network.