Showing 1 - 10 of 19
How China won innovation in lieu of freedom
Oped, Jennifer Lind, Published on 28/11/2025
» A decade ago, China's government unveiled Made in China 2025 -- a bold vision for transforming the country from the world's assembly line into a global innovation leader. The plan was met with considerable scepticism, particularly in the West, where a robust scholarly consensus held that authoritarianism was fundamentally incompatible with innovation. China was light-years behind the global frontier. Barring drastic political change, many observers concluded, China would remain a "copycat nation".
Singapore turns 60 with much to show
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 08/08/2025
» No country turns 60 like Singapore. In a neighbourhood of political dynasties and varying shades of autocracies and flawed democracies, the little island state of six million got lucky with its strongman rule. When he died in 2015, Singapore's patriarchal founder Lee Kuan Yew left a great country behind. This weekend, Singaporeans can take stock of what's gone by and rightly celebrate its milestone with much to show for.
Are you a 'doomscroller' or 'hopescroller'?
Oped, Jennifer Mercieca, Published on 10/07/2025
» My students tell me that they don't sleep. They stay up all night endlessly scrolling their social media feeds. Their attention has been captured, but not by anything in particular, not really, they say. Like a lot of us, my students are chronic doomscrollers.
Myanmar's 'my way' vs Asean norms
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/07/2025
» It appeared to be a done deal. During their summit on May 26, Asean leaders agreed to admit Timor-Leste as the 11th member of the regional bloc. Since then, Nay Pyi Taw has raised an unexpected objection, with the junta issuing an official statement that could potentially embarrass Asean and its current chair, Malaysia.
Tariff man Trump vs united Asean
Oped, Kishore Mahbubani, Published on 09/06/2025
» US President Donald Trump's tariffs -- especially the ultra-high "reciprocal tariffs" that he says will be reintroduced on July 8 for any country that has not struck a trade deal with his administration -- have sent countries around the world scrambling to respond, adapt and limit the fallout. Asean's 10 members -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- have been among the most proactive.
State entities too complex to be treated as startups
Oped, Mariana Mazzucato and Rainer Kattel, Published on 17/04/2025
» Around the world, governments are trying to reinvent themselves in the image of business. Elon Musk's DOGE crusade in the United States is quite explicit on this point, as is Argentina's chainsaw-wielding president, Javier Milei. But one also hears similar rhetoric in the United Kingdom, where Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden wants the government to foster a "test-and-learn" culture and move towards performance-based management.
Treaty could end our plastic crisis
Oped, Salisa Traipipitsiriwat & Penchom Saetang, Published on 29/11/2024
» On Nov 13, a coalition of 160 civil society organisations in Thailand made a historic plea, submitting a joint statement urging the Thai government to champion a strong Global Plastics Treaty at the upcoming fifth and final negotiations in Busan, South Korea. This treaty, initiated in 2022, aims to establish a legally binding global framework to address plastic pollution across its entire life cycle.
Don't write the obituary of the lunch hour just yet
Oped, Jackie Mansky, Published on 26/11/2024
» Rewatching Modern Times the other day, I realised it's only a matter of time before something like the Billows Feeding Machine gets shilled on TikTok Shop.
Moving towards a fifth world order
Oped, Gordon Brown & Mohamed A El-Erian, 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.
Sunscreen and our move towards a sun-safe future
Oped, Charlotte Mathieson, Published on 14/09/2024
» It's April 2000. I'm 14 years old, lying on a beach in the Bahamas, a bottle of SPF 20 at my side. I periodically check to see how my suntan is developing, watching with fascination as my pale white skin turns a deep, chestnut brown. Through the headphones of my Discman, Baz Luhrmann is telling the class of '99 to "trust me on the sunscreen". I nod along to the beat, oblivious to the irony. Luhrmann's caution is ahead of the curve.