Archives

Thailand’s previously apolitical join the Run Against Dictatorship

Previously politically disengaged members of the population are joining organised political activity alongside older red shirt activist groups.

What lurks beyond the Belt and Road in Myanmar?

A reflection on China-Myanmar relations ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit on 17 January 2020.

The ASEAN pincer: caught between elite capture and populists

Democracy 2.0 in ASEAN must consider the invisible threat of elite capture and build new tools to fight it.

Was Majapahit really an empire?

A critical reflection on the emergence, dominance and legacy of Java’s historic ‘empire’.

Human rights and heritage sites in Myanmar: An irreconcilable juxtaposition or a productive conversation?

What does world heritage inscription mean in a country where human rights abuses are ongoing?

Farewell 2019

The top posts of 2019 and end of year thanks.

Defections to expulsions: Future Forward Party’s internal turmoil

"Very few MP candidates actually call themselves “true believers” in the Future Forward ideology."

Religion, ethnicity and hate speech in Indonesia’s 2019 presidential election

A reflection on the Jokowi and Prabowo campaign strategies and how they unfolded.

44 Years after invasion: East Timor’s 1975 generation

The role of youth and students has been sidelined in the history of the resistance movement.

A volunteer cleaning effort on Queen Sirikit's birthday in 2019 (not part of the Volunteer Spirit 904 initiative)

Cascading royal-nationalism: Bangkok’s “Volunteer Spirit 904” bootcamps

Around 3,000 public servants have volunteered to attend intensive “boot camps” at a military base in Bangkok.

Lost in tongue: the politics of mother tongue education in Myanmar

A glimpse into the current state of mother tongue education and its connections to the broader ethnic reconciliation process.

Politicising the label radical?

Extremist labels are being utilised to repress criticism, strong-arm opponents and silence challengers of the Indonesian government.