Powerlessness of the most powerful
The president of the leading global power has made it clear that he has no interest in getting involved in resolving any of the world’s shared problems.
Category: Opinion
US Mideast clout in doubt with Khashoggi case
If Washington doesn’t stay close to Riyadh and sell it arms, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office this weekend, the Saudis will turn to Moscow or Beijing instead.
Is the second Trump-Kim summit really necessary?
It is time for the US to recognise North Korea as a de facto nuclear power and engage in only ministerial-level dialogues, argues Khang Vu, to avoid giving Pyongyang too much global attention to its ‘existential deterrence’ of having a small but undisclosed nuclear and missile capability.
ASEM: Trying to connect Europe and Asia together
October is set to be a “very Asia-oriented month” in Brussels according to the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini as she revealed the EU Strategy for Connecting Europe and Asia.
China-US tensions in the South China Sea
China’s more robust response to America’s most recent freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the Spratly Islands is a clear demonstration of how the intensification of Sino-US rivalry is increasingly being played out in the heart of maritime Southeast Asia.
Is Cambodia ready for the post-EBA era?
The EU’s withdrawal of Cambodia’s trade preferences under the Everything but Arms scheme will now force the country to rethink its industrial policy, writes Soun Nimeth.
Sustainable development: Can Asean lead the process?
Asean is planning to establish its Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue. Whether the Centre will provide Asean leadership in sustainable development cooperation depends on the entity’s design.
Mekong-Japan cooperation enters a new dimension
The Mekong region is emerging to be a new growth center as well as a strategic frontier for Asia due to its relatively high economic performance, deepening regional integration, and complex interdependence within the region.
China’s restraint can prevent Cold War
US National Security Adviser John Bolton ramped up rhetoric on China in an interview on conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt’s radio show on Friday.
Zero Hunger: Our actions today are our future tomorrow
Today is World Food Day and it aims to remind the international community of their fundamental political commitment to humanity and raise awareness that achieving a Zero Hunger world by 2030 is still possible, writes José Graziano da Silva.
Cambodia and paradoxes of EBA
It is unfair for Cambodia – whose government did not come to power through a military coup and its state apparatus is non-communist – to suffer unnecessary economic sanctions from the EU in the form of withdrawal of its trade preferences under the Everything but Arms scheme, writes Chan Khunthiny.
Towards a strategic outlook for Asean
For almost a decade, the basic strategic issue for Asean has been how to position itself as the US and China grope towards a new modus vivendi. This is still the main challenge.
Small states must play smart
The foreign policy of small states is constrained by the size and location of the country and its natural resources and population.
US hijacking WTO reform agenda?
According to Kyodo News Agency, trade ministers of Japan, the US and the EU agreed on Tuesday to co-sponsor a proposal to reform the World Trade Organization (WTO) as part of an effort against Chinese industrial subsidies.
Seek to normalise and not denuclearise N. Korea
By focussing solely on denuclearisation, the international community risks losing sight of the bigger, more important picture: guiding North Korea’s desire to become a normal state so that this desire eventually overrides the country’s obsession with nuclear weapons.
Najib charged, Mahathir wins
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has finally been charged with corruption relating to the 1MBD financial scam.
It is hard to see Russia as threat to Britain
Sputnik spoke with George Szamuely, senior research fellow at the Global Policy Institute, about Britain’s Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson’s remarks regarding Russia being ‘one of the greatest threats’.
Indonesia’s democracy creaks at the 20-year mark
In 1998, 20 years ago this year, the combined pressures of a regional economic collapse, student protests, elite defection, urban riots and a polarised military led long-time strongman Suharto to step down from the Indonesian presidency.
Say goodbye to pesticides in Cambodia’s veggie production
Food safety is an issue in Cambodia. Due to high pressure from pests and plant diseases, vegetable producers are still predominantly relying on chemical pesticides.
Asean way to prevent or counter violent extremism?
Singapore, as chairman of Asean, is convening a Southeast Asia Counter-Terrorism Symposium this week.
