Showing 1 - 10 of 141
Implications of conservative triumph
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 13/02/2026
» The incumbent and conservative Bhumjaithai (BJT) Party has surprisingly swept Thailand's Feb 8 election with a commanding win. With the previously poll-leading and progressive People's Party (PP) coming in a distant second, Thailand appears headed for a conservative coalition government revolving around BJT and like-minded junior partners. Known for its conservative stance and being pro-status quo, it would not be surprising if the BJT-led coalition government, led by Prime Minister-elect Anutin Charnvirakul, were not challenged by the Constitutional Court, the Election Commission, and other supervisory agencies, which have derailed and dissolved reform-minded winning parties in the past.
Japanese PM Takaichi comes out on top
Oped, Taniguchi Tomohiko, Published on 11/02/2026
» Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has just scored an unprecedented victory in the country's general election. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which she leads, won 316 seats in the 465-member House of Representatives (the Diet's lower house), up sharply from 198. The combined strength of two parties that had merged hastily -- despite their fundamentally opposing platforms -- in an effort to bring Ms Takaichi down fell from 167 seats to just 49. The LDP, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, has never looked more robust.
The Houthi threat to global shipping
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 28/03/2025
» Amidst the unpredictable arc of crisis shadowing the Middle East, the systemic and sustained merchant shipping attacks in the Red Sea persist. The culprits are a shadowy but lethal Iranian proxy force, the Houthis, who use their control of mountainous parts of the Yemeni coast to launch missile, drone and speedboat attacks on vital shipping lanes connecting the Mediterranean with the Gulf of Aden.
Politics behind PM's censure debate
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 10/03/2025
» What was actually discussed, or what kinds of deal were struck, at the closed-door meeting of the "Big Four", namely Thaksin Shinawatra and Newin Chidchob, the de facto leaders of Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai parties, and Prime Minister Paetongtarn and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, at the Ban Chan Song La mansion on March 2 remains a mystery.
Centre-left parties must regain relevance in Germany
Oped, Bartosz M Rydlinski, Published on 01/03/2025
» Germany's Social Democrats are one of the West's oldest political parties, with a legacy of advocating parliamentary democracy, opposing Nazism, and leading the modernisation of postwar Germany. In addition to many notable labour, economic, and human-rights reforms the party has implemented over the years, ex-SPD leader and West German chancellor Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik in the 1970s laid the groundwork for Germany's reunification in 1990.
DSI considers all-out war with Senate
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 24/02/2025
» The sound of beating war drums is getting louder as the Justice Ministry and its sidekick, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), go on the warpath against the Senate -- the first confrontation of its kind -- over allegations that the senatorial election last June was fraught with collusion and bloc voting.
Provincial Administration Organisation polls a gamechanger for Thais?
Oped, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 16/01/2025
» On Feb 1, Provincial Administration Organisation (PAO) elections will be held in 47 out of 77 provinces. Late last year, there were elections in 29 provinces, where the PAO presidents resigned before their terms ended.
A 'retrospective' on Trump's first year back in job
Oped, Jeffrey Frankel, Published on 16/01/2025
» Predictions about 2025 come with flashing caveats: no one can know what US President-elect Donald Trump will do, let alone how the rest of the world will respond. But one can speculate. Imagine it is January 2026.
Stop the party snoops
News, Editorial, Published on 06/01/2025
» Ahead of the upcoming nationwide local elections on Feb 1, troubling signs of state power being wielded for political advantage are emerging. The government and the Interior Ministry, in charge of state mechanisms, cannot evade responsibility to ensure a fair and transparent electoral process.
Make America Great Again heads to Panama
Oped, Ruti Teitel, Published on 04/01/2025
» US President-elect Donald Trump clearly does not intend to pursue a "good neighbour" policy. He has been mocking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by calling him "governor" while proclaiming that a country of 40 million people should become the 51st US state. His first telephone conversation with Mexico's new president, Claudia Scheinbaum, had to be followed by Ms Scheinbaum politely saying that she had agreed to none of the terms Mr Trump claimed that she had.