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Category: ASEAN
Beyond Regime Type: VAWP as the Threat for Women in Southeast Asia
Women’s representation in government is fundamental to achieving good governance and, to some extent, substantive democracy. The importance of women in politics stems from the hypothesis that shared identity leads women politicians to care more about women’s issues in policymaking than their male colleagues. Some studies support this hypothesis, showing that female member of parliaments (MPs) tend to prioritise issues related to women, such as abortion, domestic violence and rape.
South China Sea Ruling Still Worth Defending, Experts Tell Jakarta Conference
July 12 of this year marks a decade of the Arbitral Award, where the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague found no legal basis for China’s nine-dash line claim, a statement it handed down under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on 2016. Beijing rejected it then and ignores it now, leaving Southeast Asia to manage a verdict that is binding in law but unbacked by any mechanism to compel compliance.
In the South China Sea, US$5.3 Trillion in Trade Rides on An Unsettled Dispute
Around 5.3 trillion US dollar in trade transits the South China Sea each year, a waterway whose legal status remains unsettled. A decade ago, precisely on July 12, 2016, the Arbitral Award issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague rejected Beijing’s claims over the sea. However, China’s refusal to recognise it leaves the rules governing one of the world’s busiest trade channels continuously contested. For the region’s economies, that ambiguity is not an abstraction but a durable risk to supply chains, energy flows and food security.
Beyond Tariffs: The Customs Gap Quietly Reshaping Southeast Asia’s E-Commerce Growth
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Korea Is Ready to Invest in Southeast Asia, But The Region Needs A Front Door
In the July heat of Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, Yejoon Chung keeps his suit buttoned and his tie straight while other delegates loosen their collars and drift toward the shade. With a public administration master’s degree from Harvard, Chung spends his days connecting Korean startups to the wider world. The paradox he keeps repeating is that the market he most wants Korean companies to enter is also the one they find hardest to read.
Philippines Balances Myanmar Peace Plan and South China Sea Strategy
The Philippines, as the current chair of the ASEAN will hold an informal consultation dialogue between the bloc and Myanmar’s foreign minister, Tin Maung Swe, on July 12. This marks the first of its kind since the junta seized power back in 2021.
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines: Three Paths to Face Energy Price Shocks
The conflict in Iran that erupted in mid-2026 shook the global oil market and forced almost all ASEAN countries to adjust their fuel prices in a short period.
Southeast Asia Is Not In The World Cup, But It’s Not A Talent Problem
As the world’s attention is currently fixed to the largest ever FIFA World Cup tournament in history where 48 national teams are competing, Southeast Asia is also watching closely. The region is home to one of the biggest fanbases in the world, hosting about 300 million people or roughly 10% of the world’s football supporters.
Powerful El Niño emerges, threatening Southeast Asian agriculture and food security
Earlier this June, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that a powerful El Niño has begun to emerge above the Pacific Ocean. Analysts warned that the phenomenon will threaten Southeast Asia with severe drought and critical agricultural shocks.