History and electoral reality suggest that the 2019 elections will deliver another “wasted coup”.

A year of growth and experimentation at New Mandala, with an even bigger year ahead.

The 'new Malaysia' challenge is to redefine its trade and industrial policies, and to work out where the new sources of growth and tax revenue can be, more so after the GST's removal.

What bleak stories can be told about what Thailand will be like in a decade, when Thais have already lived under nearly five years of military rule? The film Ten Years Thailand grapples with that very question.

Revisit the 20 most popular articles published at New Mandala this year.

An eccentric—and violent—Islamic preacher has been catapulted to fame in Indonesia after becoming a target of the authorities.

The Court of Justice plays no less significant a role in sustaining the military regime, yet has generally kept a much lower profile than the controversial Constitutional Court.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front struggles to sustain a dual image of moderation and militancy.

Observations on what many are calling Malaysia's answer to Indonesia's 212 movement.

In its rhetoric the MILF "is forced to walk a tightrope between two extremes", seeking credibility as a negotiator and as champion of Islam.

In both countries, ugly populist politics is a direct result of legitimate concerns about crime and corruption.

A despatch from Brisbane, where an eclectic selection of Indonesian works stands out at the APT.

"We are drawn into the lives of four characters, each with a separate monologue"

"Many were emotionally triggered by this part-testimonial, part-theatrical, and part-documentary theatre"

The play highlights "raw and conflicted stories based on real lives in the drug war".

"Tao Po invites us to listen to four people’s intimate accounts of the [Philippines'] drug war."

Introducing a series of short reflections on Tao Po, a one-person play that grapples with the Philippines' drug war.

The second reunion of the 2016 anti-Ahok rally was a show of force from FPI ahead of elections.

Some big-picture reflections on regime type, ethnic diversity, and ethnic exclusion.

How can Thailand “move on” from a decade of mass political contestation—unrest which was halted, but hardly resolved, by large-scale state violence and the military’s eventual seizure of power?

On the the misuse of western historical sources in the search for Suvarnabhumi.

A proposal for marriage registration cards is an invitation for more moral surveillance of Indonesian citizens.

The ‘new Malaysia’ is viewed with sceptical eyes in poor rural communities in Johor.

Listen to New Mandala's monthly Indonesia podcast.