Showing 1 - 10 of 126
Thailand's political trajectory in 2026
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 09/01/2026
» What happens in Thai politics this year and the immediate horizon will be determined by the upcoming election on Feb 8. While contesting political parties are in full campaign mode, the contemporary history of Thai polls so far in the 21st century is not encouraging. Only once in the past 25 years have voting results went the way they were meant to, in accordance with the popular will. Whether the vote in four weeks will follow the same pattern will depend on whether the conservative establishment gets its preferred outcome.
Flood resilience a national imperative
Oped, Srinivasa Popuri and Kotchakorn Voraakhom, Published on 18/12/2025
» The twin cyclones Senyar and Ditwah that struck South and Southeast Asia in November caused unprecedented flooding across the region, with Thailand among the most severely affected.
Climate disasters demand swift action
Oped, Genevieve Donnellon-May, Published on 10/12/2025
» Southeast Asia is in crisis. Less than a week after the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) concluded in Brazil, the region is grappling with devastating floods and landslides, underscoring the urgent climate challenges that countries have repeatedly raised on the global stage.
The time I really put my foot in it
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/10/2025
» A half-hearted spring-cleaning session at home during the week came to a welcome halt when I unearthed a couple of my father's wartime RAF books under a pile of disintegrating paperbacks. The Air Ministry books, published more than 80 years ago, always serve as a reminder of when as a kid I made a faux pas of embarrassing proportions.
Lawless state capitalism no answer to China's rise
Oped, Curtis J Milhaupt & Angela Huyue Zhang, Published on 19/09/2025
» It is tempting to frame the Sino-American economic rivalry as a clash between engineering doers and lawyerly naysayers, as the Chinese-Canadian analyst Dan Wang does in his new book Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future. But this is a false dichotomy, because law is a crucial feature of US capitalism.
Why is everyone becoming so self-righteous?
Oped, Steven Sloman, Published on 18/09/2025
» It feels increasingly difficult nowadays to avoid righteousness; or, worse, self-righteousness. We are constantly being told what to do by those who supposedly have seen the light. For example, I was recently scolded by a colleague for suggesting that my own employer should aim to hire the best people, regardless of their sex or race. I was struck by the confidence that this person felt in instructing me on what I should value; it felt high-handed and uninformed.
Floods 'a recurring nightmare'
Oped, George G van der Meulen & Chamniern Vorratnchaiphan, Published on 16/09/2025
» Thailand has faced floods for more than a century. Some years are worse than others, but the pattern is consistent. The catastrophic 2011 floods remain the most painful reminder: according to the World Bank, they caused US$46.5 billion (1.5 trillion baht) in economic losses, displaced 13 million people, and claimed approximately 800 lives. Much of the country's industrial heartland was submerged for months, severely impacting global supply chains.
Jakarta's crisis is Asean's problem
Oped, Simon Hutagalung, Published on 08/09/2025
» The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has relied on the domestic stability of its member states to achieve regional unity, and Indonesia, as the largest and most populous nation in the bloc, has served as the primary stabilising force.
Israel's Gaza campaign is making it a pariah state
Oped, Thomas L Friedman, Published on 03/09/2025
» I will leave it to historians to debate whether Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. But what is absolutely clear to me right now is that this Israeli government is committing suicide, homicide and fratricide.
Abbot's dramatic fall from grace
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 01/09/2025
» Faith built his empire. Fraud destroyed it. Luang Por Alongkot's fall from grace leaves Thai Buddhism reeling, demanding long-overdue reform.