Criminal cyber libel and online defamation laws across Southeast Asia raise concerns about freedom of expression, press freedom, and foreign investment. With particular attention to the Philippines, this analysis examines how criminal penalties, legal disputes,…
Southeast Asia is becoming a major geography of artificial intelligence, with Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines competing for data centers, hyperscaler investment, computing capacity, and greater control over AI development.
Could the impeachment of Sara Duterte trigger a deeper political unbundling of the Philippines? This working paper examines the constitutional, territorial, political, fiscal, and security conditions that could turn an impeachment crisis into regional defiance…
Pax Silica could make the Philippines a major hub for semiconductors, minerals, and data centers. But an overly public launch, complex local politics, and poor sequencing have turned a promising strategy into a bureaucratic mess.
Skin whitening is deeply embedded in Southeast Asia’s beauty culture. From affordable creams to cosmetic procedures and glutathione treatments, the pursuit of lighter skin reflects longstanding class ideals, colonial legacies, media influence, and modern social…
Surveys that ask voters, “were you offered money or goods for your vote?” put Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia at the high (most widespread) end in Southeast Asia. A Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer round…
ASEAN member states have long maintained a wary and limited engagement with the International Criminal Court (ICC), prioritizing national sovereignty over participation in the Rome Statute system. Only a small minority of Southeast Asian countries…
PLAGUED WITH POWER OUTAGES THAT ARE GETTING WORSE, WHY HAS ASEAN CHOSEN TO STEER CLEAR OF NUCLEAR POWER?
Japan has 15 operable nuclear powerplants, providing nearly 10% of all electricity throughout the country. China has…
ASEAN member nations are struggling to keep their proverbial heads above water, as well as their feet wet. An enhanced cycle of floods and droughts are today more and more challenging their abilities to adequately…
Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto “Gilbert” Teodoro Jr. issued a sharp call for ASEAN member states to abandon any pretense of neutrality in the face of Chinese actions in the South China Sea, arguing…
