Showing 1 - 10 of 58
An Asean free from 'wars on drugs'
Oped, Published on 19/09/2025
» Asean governments recently met in Singapore for a regional meeting about drugs, where the host nation urged renewed commitment to a "drug-free region". The problem isn't simply the recycling of an outdated mantra first declared in 1998, nor the fact that the region's drug markets have only expanded since then, but that this approach ignores how government policies themselves shape those markets -- and the devastating harms that follow.
1% GDP growth impacts will be severe
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 21/08/2025
» Where did I get the idea that GDP growth in the second half of 2025 would only be 1.0%? The answer is the government, as the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) told me so.
The climate challenge as a development opportunity
Oped, Published on 06/06/2025
» When climate change is framed as a global problem requiring collective regulation of greenhouse-gas emissions, developing-country governments see little reason to prioritise the issue over others. After all, the rich, industrialised countries who contributed disproportionately to the problem are themselves backing away from decarbonisation and climate-finance commitments, while low-income countries bear the brunt of the costs of climate change. Decision-makers in developing countries understandably conclude it may be more rational to hunker down and focus on climate resilience rather than emissions reductions.
Jets can't fix trade
Oped, Postbag, Published on 03/05/2025
» Re: "Arms deals tied to US tariff talks", (BP, April 22).
Beyond the world's favourite hippo
Oped, Published on 02/01/2025
» The news from Asia at year-end 2024 that dominated headlines here in the United States included the tragic crash landing of Jeju Air flight 2216 flying from Thailand. As hundreds of millions took to roads and to the air for the holidays, the news seemed especially close to home, even thousands of miles away.
The way to fight coups
Oped, Editorial, Published on 11/12/2024
» South Korea has charmed the world with "soft power" such as K-Pop. But the country and its citizens have just shown their democracy is even more inspiring.
Democracy in action with bid to target Yoon
Oped, Published on 11/12/2024
» Yoon Suk-yeol's latest political gambit undoubtedly did not unfold as he expected. After abruptly declaring martial law on Dec 3, South Korea's scandal-plagued president was forced to lift the order within hours in the face of public protests and legislative opposition. He now faces an impeachment motion filed by the opposition Democratic Party, which has condemned his "insurrectionary behaviour".
Thailand-South Korea dual narratives
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 03/12/2024
» Thailand-South Korea relations are paradoxical. The countries share a dynamic that boasts both heroic achievements and glaring challenges. While their cultural and economic ties have progressed over the decades, they are black-eyed by labour and immigration issues. Solving these irritating issues can elevate friendship and unleash the potential of bilateral cooperation.
Once again, it was the economy, stupid
Oped, Published on 15/11/2024
» 'It's the economy, stupid!" This famous mantra, coined by the political strategist James Carville, helped Bill Clinton unseat President George H W Bush in 1992, and now it explains another election. The economy played a critical role in the 2024 presidential race, creating the conditions not only for Donald Trump to trounce Kamala Harris, and for the Republicans to gain control of the Senate and the House of Representatives, but possibly also for a counter-elite to usher in a new power structure.
Moving towards a fifth world order
Oped, Published on 26/10/2024
» The Bretton Woods institutions -- the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank -- are now 80 years old. But they are as under-resourced and poorly supported by national governments as at any time in their history. Their predicament is perhaps the clearest sign that economic and financial multilateralism is fragmenting along with the global economy. Worse, this fragmentation comes at a time of rising international tensions, financial fragility, sputtering growth, rising poverty, and mounting reconstruction bills in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, and elsewhere.