Showing 1 - 10 of 1,440
Can alliances with the US be replaced?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 07/04/2026
» The increasingly loud debate over the future of alliances -- after reports that the US could scale back or even withdraw from Nato -- is nerve-racking. It has caused alarm across Europe and in Southeast Asia, another node of the US alliance network. Even without any official decision, remarks by US President Donald Trump on social media were enough to shake already fragile US alliances. The question now frequently asked by Thai policymakers is: What comes next if alliances weaken?
The silent engines of Asean realism
Oped, Imran Khalid, Published on 30/03/2026
» The global economy is currently tackling what may be the most significant energy disruption since the 1970s. The effective throttling of the Strait of Hormuz -- now seeded with Iranian Maham mines and subject to a tense, IRGC-monitored tolling system -- has physically severed the energy arteries that sustain the industrial heart of Southeast Asia.
False promises no solution to empty pockets
Oped, Saritdet Marukatat, Published on 30/03/2026
» Thailand has returned to a painful reality under a new government still fresh from the political rhetoric bandied about during the election campaign.
Trump goes off-script, US gone rogue
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 27/03/2026
» It was not supposed to work like this. "America First" and "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) were supposed to be about an inward turn to repair, replenish and rebuild an externally overstretched and internally weakened country, weighed down by unnecessary global entanglements, unsustainable national debt, and unimpeded mass migration. It seemed for a time that the MAGA movement to prioritise America above and beyond the international system and its constituent parts had found its final prophet in President Donald J Trump. But now, somehow, President Trump has betrayed the movement that has carried him to office by waging a disastrous war on Iran in cooperation with Israel.
Long stay doubts
Oped, Postbag, Published on 24/03/2026
» Re: "30-day visa-free stay 'sufficient', says minister", (BP, March 21) & "Thailand reviewing visa-free stays as local complaints pile up" & "Phuket up in arms on long‑stay visa", (BP, March 18).
Anutin's first big test
Oped, Editorial, Published on 23/03/2026
» The latest escalation in the Middle East targeting energy infrastructure is not merely another flurry of geopolitical tension, but a systemic shock to the global order with the potential to reverberate far beyond oil markets.
Impacts of Iran war on Southeast Asia
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 20/03/2026
» For the most part, Southeast Asia as a region has taken a neutral stance toward the joint attack between the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Even the Philippines and Thailand, two formal US treaty allies, have distanced themselves, calling for restraint and de-escalation.
Lesson from India to avoid the middle-income trap
Oped, Arvind Panagariya, Published on 18/03/2026
» Among Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most ambitious goals is to transform his country into a developed economy by Aug 15, 2047 -- the centenary of Indian independence. Given India's growth record over the past two decades, the speed and scale of its infrastructure development in recent years, and the Modi government's willingness to enact large-scale economic reforms, India is likely to become one of the few developing countries to avoid the middle-income trap.
Thai neutrality key as Mideast war escalates
Oped, Anucha Charoenpo, Published on 13/03/2026
» The ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel is causing widespread concern beyond the Middle East. Thailand, like many other nations, has expressed concern about the risks of terrorism and sabotage that could threaten both citizens and foreign nationals within its borders.
Strait attack unacceptable
Oped, Editorial, Published on 13/03/2026
» The adverse impact of the war between Iran, the United States and Israel has spilt over to other nations beyond the Middle East, as Tehran ramps up its attacks on cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz.