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  • News & article

    Global disarray as institutions falter

    News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 17/08/2015

    » The international system as we know it is unravelling. Rules and institutions that were set up seven decades ago no longer hold the same weight and authority as they used to. As we grapple with an exacerbating global disorder, established powers and players and old rules and institutions need to be revamped and reinvented to accommodate new realities. Otherwise global tensions will mount, most probably accompanied by confrontation and conflict.

  • News & article

    Japan's dilemmas need bold answers

    Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 03/11/2023

    » Among the big countries vying for power and influence in the fluid and contentious geostrategic arena, Japan faces the most daunting challenges. Most of the recognised major powers in Asia, from China and India to Indonesia and South Korea, are rising and aspiring for bigger roles and grander objectives, while Japan's place in the global pecking order has been in decline. The last time Japan had to confront such an existential threat to its place in the world may have been in the 1860s when the Western powers shook up and threatened to take over the isolated and inward-looking martial society.

  • News & article

    A Thai view on the Hamas-Israel war

    Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 20/10/2023

    » The Palestinians' longstanding and legitimate grievances have been irrevocably subverted by Hamas' brazen attack against Israel on Oct 7. Unlike previous rounds of conflicts and clashes between Israel and the Palestinians on the one hand and neighbouring Arab states on the other, Thailand has become a direct casualty like never before, as 30 Thai workers have been killed to date, with at least 16 injured and 17 taken hostage. As a militant political movement motivated by Islamic fundamentalism using methods of terrorism to achieve its objectives, Hamas has made a bad name for the Palestinian cause, eliciting condemnation and opposition all the way over here in Thailand.

  • News & article

    Thai global standing at all-time low

    Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 17/02/2023

    » Although it will not lead to a no-confidence vote, the general debate in Thailand's parliament this week has further weakened the coalition government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, undermining its chances of re-election as the next general election looms. Among the many bombshell allegations of corruption, cronyism and sheer incompetence tabled by opposition parties, Thailand's international credibility and reputation have come into focus. Compared to its past role and performance, it appears that Thailand's global standing is at an all-time low.

  • News & article

    Geopolitical takeaways from SEA meets

    Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 25/11/2022

    » Southeast Asia's summit season has come and gone with takeaways that concurrently eased geopolitical tensions and underlined risks that could lead to future global conflict. The three major summits -- the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Phnom Penh, the G20 in Bali, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) in Bangkok -- also demonstrated that the Covid-19 pandemic over 2020-21 has been practically overcome as in-person meetings are back in full force. Overall, the three hosts came away with mixed highlights.

  • News & article

    Thai sovereignty is not for abuse

    Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 28/10/2022

    » Thailand's dramatic and damaging shift in position towards Russia's aggression in Ukraine raises myriad questions with few answers -- none holding any water.

  • News & article

    Thailand's bankrupt Myanmar policy

    Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 17/06/2022

    » Few signboards foretell the global issues of our time better than what is addressed at the annual meetings of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in Singapore. After a pandemic-induced two-year hiatus, the most recent SLD covered the gamut on the main stage, from the United States-China geostrategic competition and military modernisation to security cooperation and climate change. The only anomalous single- and small-country focus in a special session was Myanmar.

  • News & article

    Russia's war causes regional disarray

    Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 18/03/2022

    » President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine from Feb 24 is deeply consequential for Southeast Asia, both as a region and Asean as a regional organisation. Even though this region is relatively far away from the cut and thrust of Russia's war in Ukraine, Asean has already encountered new internal divisions stemming from the raging conflict in Europe. As a result, Asean's age-old approach of consensus will likely become more problematic in the search for new and more effective ways of cooperation among like-minded member states.

  • News & article

    Myanmar military fails sovereignty test

    Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 04/02/2022

    » After seizing power from an elected civilian government on Feb 1 last year, Myanmar's military junta under the State Administration Council (SAC) has fallen short of the four categories that constitute the definition of a sovereign state.

  • News & article

    Thailand can't have it both ways abroad

    Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 05/11/2021

    » Images of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha hobnobbing with world leaders like United States President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow sparked mixed feelings at home.

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