Showing 1 - 10 of 37
Asean must grab its rare-earth shot
News, Imran Khalid, Published on 22/11/2025
» US President Donald Trump's return to Southeast Asia last month felt like a rerun -- tariffs, tough talk, and televised deals. But this time, he left behind more than headlines. From Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi, Mr Trump inked trade pacts promising tariff relief on US exports in exchange for joint ventures in mining and refining the rare-earth minerals that power the world's clean-tech boom.
New tech disrupts global order
Oped, Mark Blyth & Daniel Driscoll, Published on 18/11/2025
» News media tend to focus on the world's major powers because they command more resources by dint of their relatively larger economies, militaries and energy endowments. But there are costs to such dominance. For example, a single American Gerald R Ford-class aircraft carrier costs $13 billion (421.6 billion baht), while the F-35 fighter jet costs about $100 million. So, if you can build your military equipment for less than your opponent, you can gain a strategic advantage.
SET expat problems
Oped, Postbag, Published on 09/10/2025
» Re: "Capital market task force unveils 'quick win' reform", (Business, Oct 7). One still unresolved issue is foreigners/expats at times not getting their freely issued warrants, even those who reside here in permanence and own the so-called NVDR shares.
Vaccine risk data
Oped, Postbag, Published on 01/10/2025
» Re: "Dept quick to dispel vaccine naysayers", (BP, Sept 29). Unfortunately, this article, in which the Department of Disease Control dismisses claims that vaccines are unnecessary or harmful, uses authoritarian declarations. There are copious testimonies and a recent definitive paper presented to the US Congress committee investigating vaccine safety.
US hard power must get harder
Oped, Todd G. Buchholz & Michael Mindlin, Published on 05/06/2025
» In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford gets his biggest laugh when a desert assassin twirls a scimitar with menacing bravado. Following this brief performance, Ford's character cracks a wry smile, takes out his pistol, and shoots the man dead. In a potential contest with China, the United States looks more like the medieval assassin, deploying young sailors and soldiers equipped with perilously outdated, vulnerable technology.
Time to rethink Thailand's soft power
Oped, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 09/04/2025
» For years, Thailand has marketed itself to the world through golden temples, glittering beaches, street food, and warm hospitality. The "Land of Smiles" has become a global brand, but soft power is not a marketing campaign -- it's a long game of developing and nourishing values, trust, and strategic diplomacy. In that game, Thailand is falling behind.
Fighting my corner
Postbag, Published on 06/04/2025
» Re: "Great debates… and some not so great", (PostScript, March 30).
Smarter flood plans
Oped, Postbag, Published on 20/12/2024
» Re: "Our broken system fuels flood crisis", (Opinion, Dec 18).
Fragile supply chains will rebuild
News, Tim Culpan, Published on 27/12/2023
» Pick a single item from an array of shocks and you can see just how fragile global supply chains truly are. But combine climate change, decoupling from China, unprecedented technological development, wars, rising costs and labour shortages, and we now have an amalgam of catalysts that will change global trade for the better.
Commitments of US navy mounting up
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 11/11/2023
» In the American game of baseball, the defending team must cover all bases; first, second and third. No matter how good and fast a player is, one person "can't cover all bases," as the expression goes. Cover one, and the ball would be hit to another. You need three players to cover first, second and third base. The best and most competent player can't successfully cover all three dispersed bases. That's common sense.