HOW ENGLISH HOLDS CHINA AT BAY
In his masterpiece 1955 book, The Triumph of the English Language, Author Richard Foster Jones presented a thorough academic outline on how the “Combined Tongues of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes” was able to supersede…
ASEAN
THE GODS ARE HYSTERICAL
Forget the nonstop “Trump, Trump, Trump!!” screams and click-baiting in America; Southeast Asia also knows how to produce good political theater. Lately the region’s ancient gods and goddesses appear to have grown bored with the…
ASEAN’s BPO Battlefield
As global companies seek cost efficiencies and digital transformation in remote B2B services and customer support, Southeast Asian nations are intensifying competition for a slice of the multi-billion-dollar outsourcing pie. The Philippines has long dominated…
Which ASEAN Country is the Most Democratic?
ASEAN comprises a politically diverse bloc of ten member states. Democracy levels vary widely, shaped by historical legacies of colonialism, authoritarian rule, ethnic diversity, and economic priorities. Using indices like the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)…
GRIMY FINGERS IN THE PUBLIC COOKIE JAR
Corruption remains a significant challenge across much of ASEAN, as reflected in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI – published annually by Transparency International), where Singapore ranks highly clean while countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, and…
The Polls are Wrong
Political polling and public opinion surveys are essential tools for gauging citizen preferences in democratic societies. However, in hybrid and authoritarian-leaning contexts within ASEAN – particularly the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Indonesia – standard…
ASEAN Neighbors Watch Philippine Turmoil with Concern, Caution… and maybe a little Schadenfreude
Embarrassing political chaos, Duterte’s imprisonment, elite squabbles, and an economic slowdown are causing concern and skepticism after Manila assumed ASEAN chairmanship in January of this year. Malaysian and Indonesian figures are criticizing the Philippine legal…