The asymmetry in the treatment of national and international movement with regard to the management of the Covid-19 pandemic is no longer justified. If coupled with robust testing and tracing, opening up borders can deliver economic benefits without significantly raising health risks.
President Jokowi’s unpopular job creation law creates a new rift with Indonesia’s leading Islamic groups.
A recent pre-election survey has confirmed the conventional wisdom that voter attitudes are entrenched and will be influenced little by the barrage of social media campaigns.
In this geostrategic climate, Southeast Asian countries should welcome rather than reject investment from China for their own developmental needs. This is likely to entice competing investments from the West and Japan.
The South China Sea poses a stress test in Russia-China relations, pitting China’s excessive claims against Russian energy interests.
A check list of the differences Southeast Asia can expect if Joe Biden wins the US presidential election or Donald Trump is returned to the White House.
Despite a wave of Covid-19 infections in the country, in particular in Yangon, the authorities are determined that the 8 November polls will be conducted as scheduled.
Richard Armitage, a veteran Republican official, has called for an Indo-Pacific that is inclusionary and not directed at any country. His view is markedly different from that of many Trump officials, and is similar to that of Japan and many countries in Southeast Asia.
China is taking action to deepen economic engagement with Southeast Asia. India, despite Prime Minister Modi’s Act East rhetoric, is not.
The much-ballyhooed “Indo-Pacific” term has gained much traction in the region in recent years. The new Democratic Party platform, however, pointedly excludes the use of the term, and touts the older “Asia-Pacific” instead. Is this Biden’s attempt at getting at Trump?
Is It Time to Open Borders?
The asymmetry in the treatment of national and international movement with regard to the management of the Covid-19 pandemic is no longer justified. If coupled with robust testing and tracing, opening up borders can deliver economic benefits without significantly raising health risks.