Showing 1 - 10 of 13
When infrastructure meets AI
Oped, Bertrand Badré & Saurabh Mishra, Published on 16/01/2026
» Infrastructure investment is booming. Around the world, governments are pouring trillions of dollars into roads, power grids, data centres, water systems, and housing, with many responding to intensifying climate shocks and the growing need for adaptation. Yet the construction industry -- the single largest force physically reshaping the planet -- is among the last major sectors to unlock all the benefits that digital technology offers. As a result, it accounts for about 21% of greenhouse-gas emissions, produces half of global landfill waste, and overspends by US$1.6 trillion a year.
Gulf spectacle masks strategic shift in US policy
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 22/05/2025
» With the showmanship of a Cecil B De Mille saga, President Donald Trump's state visit to three Arab kingdoms was uniquely paired with pomp and joint business incentives that focused on transforming the narrative from conflict to commerce and cooperation. The visits were set to the spectacular backdrop of casts of thousands, Arabian stallions, and camel cohorts marking the fanfare of the president's four-day trip to the region.
When non-interference becomes policy
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/05/2025
» What US President Donald Trump said in Saudi Arabia on May 14 resonates very well in Thailand. Last week in Riyadh, Mr Trump reiterated that the Middle East had changed because "local people did it", and not because "Western countries interfered and told you how to live or run your countries".
The bigger game: Israel and Saudi Arabia vs Iran
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 22/06/2024
» Gaza, IDF, Hamas, Mr Netanyahu, famine, terrorism, genocide, and on and on: the loud, incessant clatter of local issues and tactical moves almost drowns out the low, grinding noise as the Middle East shifts inexorably into a new strategic alignment. But it's happening, and it's still about oil, sort of.
Asean, GCC meet amid Mideast crisis
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 24/10/2023
» The summit between the leaders of Asean and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Saudi Arabia last Friday was the first time the two regional organisations collaborated in what is developing into a divided and fast-changing global environment.
Save Thai workers
Oped, Postbag, Published on 21/10/2023
» Re: "PM to ask Riyadh for help", (BP, Oct 17).
Asean's response to Israel-Hamas war
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/10/2023
» More than ever before, the current Israeli-Hamas war has revealed the starkly different positions and views held by the 10 Asean members towards the abiding conflict in the Middle East. Asean has not issued a joint statement over the brutal attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which launched a large-scale offensive from the Gaza Strip on southern Israel on Oct 7.
Dam threatens World Heritage status
Oped, Supara Janchitfah, Published on 14/09/2023
» Seated in a four-wheel drive vehicle, I could see a few big trees on the edge of Khao Yai National Park. Crossing one creek after another, I learned how they help mitigate fast-flowing waters from flooding towns further downstream.
Thai-Saudi ties' wider strategic impact
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/06/2023
» The invitation from the Saudi Minister of Investment, Khalid Abdulaziz-Falih, to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai to visit Saudi Arabia came just a few hours after the provisional results of the May 14 election were made known. With equal speed, the Thai side responded positively and gathered a 40-member high-level delegation composed of officials and private sector representatives. The caretaker government did not want to let go the momentum which began when Saudi-Thai relations resumed in January 2022.
Syria: The rehabilitation of dictator Assad
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 17/05/2023
» There is no justice. Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator whose membership even the Arab League suspended 12 years ago, is off to Riyadh this week to celebrate his re-admission to the organisation. He will pay no price for his many crimes against humanity: the name of the game now is not retribution but 'rehabilitation'.