Showing 1 - 10 of 22
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.
US-China trade truce didn't solve rare earths riddle
Oped, Imran Khalid, Published on 27/06/2025
» Amid the swirl of headlines about a US-China trade breakthrough in London on June 11, it is reported that US President Donald Trump said the US and China had made a "great deal" -- with China agreeing to supply US companies with magnets and rare earth metals, while the US would walk back its threats to revoke visas of Chinese students.
Iran and Trump: Much ado about nothing much
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 27/06/2025
» I don't get a lot of face-time with Donald Trump, but his rant on Tuesday in front of the chopper that was to take him to the airport and on to the Nato summit in Brussels was the first time I heard him say "f***" in front of live microphones -- and it was clearly about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Aids fight cut short
Oped, Postbag, Published on 22/04/2025
» Re: "US funding cuts for Aids-HIV fight", (BP, April 17).
Ukraine's fate is now hanging in the balance
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 20/02/2025
» Three years into Russia's war against Ukraine, there seems to be a chance for peace. But this political intermezzo may be as fleeting as the approaching spring weather to soon sweep the steppes, yet at the same time, it remains a worthwhile window of opportunity for all parties to reach a ceasefire and then begin the long and perilous quest for peace.
Stablecoins can defend the dollar
Oped, Paul Ryan, Published on 14/11/2024
» Imagine a world where China has supplanted the United States atop the world economy, and the renminbi, not the greenback, is the global reserve currency. This scenario would be disastrous for US citizens, businesses, and allies. Given America's record high debt and unsustainable spending, reduced demand for dollar assets would cripple the US economy. The government would be forced to cut public services and military expenditures, altering almost every facet of American life -- and not for the better.
Hun Sen is Cambodia's de facto FM
Oped, David Hutt, Published on 14/06/2024
» Who exactly is in charge of foreign affairs in Cambodia? Judging by the last few months, Hun Sen, the former prime minister turned Senate president, appears to be pulling the strings. At least he's now the main mouthpiece.
Why EU Day matters for Thailand
Oped, David Daly, Published on 09/05/2024
» The European Union was born out of war to prevent war in the future between historic enemies. After World War II many European leaders wanted to try a new form of international cooperation to break out of the cycle of war which had dogged Europe every 50 years or so, going back through the centuries. Following the declaration by French foreign minister, Robert Schuman, on May 9, 1950, six countries agreed henceforth to manage jointly between them the industries needed to wage war -- coal, iron, steel -- instead of continuing to manage them purely nationally.
Democracies can win tech race
Oped, Ylli Bajraktari & André Loesekrug-Pietri, Published on 04/04/2024
» The world is on the precipice of a technological cold war. As authoritarian regimes develop new digital tools that endanger open societies and threaten democratic values, the West must decide whether to compete or concede. Today, the battle for freedom is being fought in Ukraine; but the frontline could one day be in Taiwan, a global technology hub, producing the world's most advanced microchips, and a flourishing democracy less than 160 kilometres off the coast of China, which seems bent on annexing the island.
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.