ISEAS Perspective provides analysis of specific current events and their significance for the Southeast Asian region. This will be published occasionally, and is aimed at keeping decision-makers in both the public and private sectors informed; as well as scholars, laymen and the interested public. This series undergoes a peer-review process.
2024/58 “Deepfakes and Selective Belief: How Partisanship Affects Voters’ Exposure and Susceptibility to Deepfake Content” by Burhanuddin Muhtadi and Maria Monica Wihardja
2024 No. 58
During Indonesia’s 2024 election campaigns, many AI-generated deepfake images, videos and audio recordings went viral, among which were a video featuring an audio recording of the National Democratic Party’s General Chairman, Surya Paloh, reprimanding presidential candidate Anies Baswedan, and another portraying President-elect Prabowo delivering a speech in Arabic.
2024/57 “Bhumjaithai Party Reaps Windfall Benefits from Astonishing Outcome of Thai Senate Election” by Termsak Chalermpalanupap
2024 No. 57
Thailand’s complicated senate election has produced an outcome full of surprises and irregularities.
2024/56 “Russian President Putin’s Visit to Hanoi: Vietnam’s ‘Bamboo Diplomacy’ In Action” by Ian Storey
2024 No. 56
Vietnam’s neutrality was in keeping with its current practice of ‘bamboo diplomacy’: balancing Vietnam’s relations with the major powers by refusing to take sides in their disputes, thereby maintaining the government’s strategic autonomy and protecting the country’s economic and security interests.
2024/55 “Governance and Power Consolidation under Nguyen Phu Trong: An Analysis of Four Strategic Tools” by Tran Le Quynh
2024 No. 55
Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has used four key tools to reshape the country’s political landscape: a rigorous anti-corruption campaign, comprehensive regulatory reforms, strategic adjustments in regional representation, and a nuanced blend of personal ties with formal party rules.
2024/54 “Japan, the Courteous Power, Bares Some Teeth for Regional Stability” by William Choong and Joanne Lin
2024 No. 54
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY * William Choong is Senior Fellow at the Regional Strategic and Political Studies Programme and Managing Editor of Fulcrum, and Joanne Lin is Associate Senior Fellow at the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. ISEAS Perspective 2024/54, 18 July 2024 Download PDF Version INTRODUCTION ASEAN and Japan celebrated five decades […]
2024/53 “Digital Autocratisation and Electoral Disinformation in the Philippines” by Aries A. Arugay & Maria Elize H. Mendoza
2024 No. 53
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY * Aries A. Arugay is Visiting Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Philippine Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, and Professor of Political Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman. Maria Elize H. Mendoza is Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman. ISEAS Perspective 2024/53, 16 July 2024 Download PDF Version INTRODUCTION […]
2024/52 “Causes and Effects of Pheu Thai’s Grand Compromise: The Lurking Instability of Thailand’s Post-2023 Party System” by Mathis Lohatepanont and Napon Jatusripitak
2024 No. 52
After the 2023 general election, the Pheu Thai Party agreed to a grand compromise with the conservative parties, allowing Pheu Thai candidate Srettha Thavisin to take office as prime minister.
2024/51 “Holding Social Media Companies Accountable for Enabling Hate and Disinformation” by Nuurrianti Jalli
2024 No. 51
Social media platforms, while connecting billions and amplifying marginalised voices, have become tools for spreading hate, disinformation, and extremist ideologies due to these business models prioritising engagement and ad revenue.
2024/50 “Whither Institutional Reform in Malaysia?” by Meredith L. Weiss
2024 No. 50
However, over a year and a half into the administration of Malaysia’s PH-led ‘Unity Government’, complaints proliferate about the lack of progress on institutional reform.
2024/49 “Minorities in Brunei Darussalam: Intersecting Religion and Ethnicity” by Chang-Yau Hoon and Asiyah Kumpoh
2024 No. 49
This Perspective offers a nuanced understanding of the interplay between religion and ethnicity among minority groups in Brunei Darussalam, a nation where Islam constitutes the majority religion and where religious proselytisation, except for Islam, is strictly forbidden.