Showing 11 - 20 of 239
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.
China's globalisation paradox
Oped, Published on 30/08/2024
» China's trading partners are once again fretting about the country's supposedly unfair economic practices. This time, the focus is on China's alleged attempt to export its excess capacity, especially in emerging sectors such as electric vehicles (EVs), and to undermine domestic industries in the United States and Europe.
Unpacking China's global influence
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 29/08/2024
» Is China an enigma? If it is difficult to decipher the country on some fronts, there are other elements which are more accessible. While it might be easy to look at its impressive growth in recent decades as diverging from other global players in key areas, there are other areas which are mutually convergent. From the multidimensional panorama of a complex world -- the "multiplex" world, a preferred approach is not to generalise too much but to analyse the specifics of our times for possible confluence.
Libya's unending crisis shows need to be prepared
Oped, Published on 29/08/2024
» Who remembers Libya? Who recalls how the US became embroiled in this civil war only then to quickly lose interest? But sadly Americans vividly remember Benghazi and the horrible loss of a US consulate, the death of a respected US diplomat, killing of three security personnel and the throwing of the American flag into the pyres of a failed policy.
Why I yelled at the TV during Harris's speech
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 28/08/2024
» When you find yourself shouting at the TV, you know it's time to take a break. I reached that point last week, watching Kamala Harris's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, and what I yelled at the screen was, "The enemy is us!"
Economic might and Olympic performance
Oped, Published on 27/08/2024
» Why do certain countries dominate the Olympics? The answer may lie in the correlation between athletic performance and GDP. The 2024 Paris Olympic Games were a case in point: the top seven medal winners -- the United States, China, Japan, Australia, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom -- are all among the world's 20 largest economies.
We need a food sharing mechanism
News, Published on 26/08/2024
» During the Asean-Australia Post-Ministerial Conference in Vientiane last month, Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi once again highlighted the critical role partners like Australia must play in easing the region's food insecurity.
Shinawatras must shed old patterns
Editorial, Published on 25/08/2024
» Inarguably, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's first public address since his return from self-imposed exile has become the talk of the town, albeit not in the most flattering way.
Capital idea, Indonesia. Now for some reality
News, Daniel Moss, Published on 21/08/2024
» Capital cities don't just happen. They develop slowly over decades, perhaps centuries, before resembling their creator's dream -- if they ever do. Indonesia is discovering such massive endeavours are hard work and prone to delays. Economics has an annoying habit of intruding.
The US dollar is a problem for everyone
Oped, Published on 20/08/2024
» In 1971, US Treasury Secretary John Connally famously told his counterparts in the G10 that "the dollar is our currency, but it's your problem". Connally was being unexpectedly candid about the fact that, even though the greenback was the world's main reserve currency, its foremost purpose was to advance US interests.