Showing 1 - 10 of 25
Censure theatrics
Oped, Postbag, Published on 29/03/2025
» Re: "Political experts split on censure outcome", (BP, March 26).
Unpunished crimes, except Duterte's maybe
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 18/03/2025
» Everybody has heard the saying: "The mills of justice grind slowly, but they grind exceeding fine". The saying is a promise that all crimes will eventually be punished -- but it is a lie.
Media laws need work
Oped, Editorial, Published on 25/01/2024
» A lucid ruling by the Constitutional Court on Pita Limjaroenrat's iTV media share case has brought down the temperature of Thai politics.
How Beijing's tactics failed in democratic Asia
Oped, Yoon Young-kwan, Published on 22/03/2023
» Since the dawn of international politics, smaller states have faced the formidable challenge of navigating great-power rivalries. Today, it is the geopolitical contest between the US and China that has compelled countries to balance their competing national interests. Toward which side they gravitate depends on domestic and external circumstances.
Philippines, China seek to mend ties
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 10/01/2023
» It's not an overstatement to say that the recent visit by Philippines President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr to China was one of the most important visits between the two countries in decades. The outcome of the three-day trip will have far-reaching implications for bilateral, regional, and global strategic landscapes in the post-pandemic era.
Local action key to beating authoritarians
Oped, Joe Mathews, Published on 27/09/2022
» Authoritarians do not teleport fully formed into national leadership. They first must learn how to rule anti-democratically, usually at the local level. Stopping authoritarianism globally requires all of us to identify our hometown autocrats, and make sure that local governments are as democratic as possible.
America, Asean in geostrategic drift
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 13/05/2022
» As Southeast Asia's renowned regional bloc, Asean has been wanting to have its cake as well as eat it. Its summit meeting with the United States in Washington this week is a testimony to trying to have it both ways. When Washington cares less about Asean, the nominally 10-member grouping frets about the lack of attention and priority. But when the US cares more, some Asean members are sceptical about its intentions and interests. This summit is likely to show that the US and Asean member states are less in line and increasingly unaligned.
What's wrong with the Philippines?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 13/05/2022
» 'Bongbong" Marcos didn't just win the presidential election in the Philippines this week. He won it by a two-to-one landslide, despite the fact that he is the extremely entitled son of a former president who stole at least US$10 billion and a mother who spent the loot partly on the world's most extensive collection of designer shoes (3,000 pairs).
Philippine vanity
Oped, Postbag, Published on 26/04/2022
» Re: "4 runners in presidential race refuse to drop out", (BP, April 19). Due to the poorly structured presidential election process in the Philippines, the winning candidate only needs to obtain more votes than each of the other candidates.
Russia's war causes regional disarray
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 18/03/2022
» President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine from Feb 24 is deeply consequential for Southeast Asia, both as a region and Asean as a regional organisation. Even though this region is relatively far away from the cut and thrust of Russia's war in Ukraine, Asean has already encountered new internal divisions stemming from the raging conflict in Europe. As a result, Asean's age-old approach of consensus will likely become more problematic in the search for new and more effective ways of cooperation among like-minded member states.