Showing 1 - 10 of 217
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.
It's never been more important to strengthen ties
Oped, Genevieve Donnellon-May, Published on 09/03/2026
» Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) face a defining moment. Intensifying great-power competition, climate crises and economic fragmentation are reshaping the Indo-Pacific, raising urgent questions about how the two sides can build a truly resilient partnership.
America risks grand folly in Iran war
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 06/03/2026
» It is just the first week of the joint attack between the United States and Israel on the Islamic Republic of Iran, but the repercussions from the Middle East for the Indo-Pacific are already discernible.
Killing the goose that lays the Olympic gold medal
Oped, Nancy Qian, Published on 24/02/2026
» The Olympic Games have always been about more than sports, with the medal count serving as a measure of national vitality. The 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina are no different. The Americans, like everyone else, want confirmation of their preeminence. So important is that outcome that even US Vice President JD Vance briefly acknowledged the value of non-white immigration to the United States when he complained that Eileen Gu, the US-born medal-winning skier for China, should be competing under the American flag.
Japan's Takaichi wins strong new mandate
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 19/02/2026
» A political Tsunami swept across Japan as recent national elections delivered a resounding victory for the incumbent party and its maverick leader, Sanae Takaichi. Though the outcome was assumed, her stunning triumph in the Feb 8 election was unexpected.
America's new age of empire dawns
Oped, Joseph E Stiglitz, Published on 13/01/2026
» US President Donald Trump has drawn a wave of criticism for his actions in Venezuela, violations of international law, disdain for longstanding norms, and threats against other countries -- not least allies like Denmark and Canada. Around the world, there is a palpable sense of uncertainty and foreboding. But it should already be obvious that things will not end well, neither for the United States nor the rest of the world.
A bright spot in global landscape
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 02/01/2026
» It's time to consult the crystal snow globe and try to peer ahead to what may be on the horizon for the new year. Without question 2025 has been tumultuous but the year ahead holds cautious promise to finally solve some political crises mixed with some epic events on tap.
Artists resist repression in Thailand, US
Oped, Sally Tyler, Published on 08/12/2025
» In late August, two seemingly unrelated events occurred in Thailand and the US. The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) altered a major exhibit it had recently opened and, a few weeks later, the comedian Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily taken off the air by the ABC television network. These events are linked as forms of artistic repression and perhaps more concerning, as examples of the growing use of intermediary censorship by authoritarian regimes.
Thailand hit by a confluence of crises
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 05/12/2025
» Thailand is currently facing multiple crises of unprecedented proportions in the highest corridors of power that will pose adversity for the economy and political stability next year and beyond.
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".