History, morality and facts become subservient to the success and protection of the individual leader.
Timor-Leste’s deep politics and the enigma of Xanana Gusmao
In 2018, Gusmao's reframing of his modernist vision through a lulik alliance signalled a return to his cultural roots that assisted in regaining his waning charisma.
Myanmar’s anti-junta forces are terrorists, says the Institute for Economics and Peace
Empirical data is not politically neutral, nor does it speak for itself. Divorced from its original context, it can cause harm.
No protection, more repression: freedom of expression in Southeast Asia
...these are fundamentally contrary to the principles of international human rights law and fail to meet the principle of “legal certainty” of international law.
Rethinking self-censorship in Southeast Asia’s media landscape
By intentionally devising concealment strategies that maintain the core messages...research participants demonstrate their commitment to continue producing critical information while avoiding punishment.
PHILIPPINES
VISIT THE PHILIPPINES HOME PAGEStay angry. Organise. Build solidarity. Democracy in post-disaster Philippines
Everyday political action shows democracy can work amidst constraints, in the aftermath of a tragedy.
Red-tagging as a human rights violation in the Philippines
Citizens and civil society in the Philippines are fighting back in the legal sphere against an instrument of repression.
Marcos or Robredo? Assessing the dynamics of the May 2022 Philippine presidential elections
Will Leni Robredo be able to overcome Bongbong Marcos’s decisive lead in the surveys?
Environmental Justice in Southeast Asia
Environmental justice on New MandalaINDONESIA
VISIT THE INDONESIA HOMEPAGEThe Macbethian tragedy of Indonesian democracy
While observers might be surprised that Jokowi harboured despotic tendencies, never had he hid his stripes...The essence of the tragedy is the circularity of a flawed system and bad actors.
Symptoms of anti-Intellectualism in Indonesian democracy
Returning pressure onto public intellectuals, as Luhut did, only increases the public’s support for the dissenters
Indonesia’s new capital authoritarianism
Though the Capital Authority acts as a "fast track" for the goal, they have to bear in mind the cost of constitutional democracy at the local level in the future
MYANMAR
VISIT THE MYANMAR HOME PAGEEffective third-sector actors in aid on the Thailand-Myanmar border
Myanmar CSOs have experience providing aid in the border areas and social capital with the war on community.
Behind the coup: what prompted the Tatmadaw’s grab for power?
Despite the seeming incredulity of the military and USDP’s claims of fraud, there is reason to take the Tatmadaw’s insistence on the legitimacy of its constitutional claims seriously.
EAOs & China: Two Letters from Northern Myanmar to the CCP
On their 100th anniversary the CCP received two congratulatory messages from Ethnic Armed organizations (EAOs) in northern Myanmar are noteworthy
ART DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Visit the ARTSEA homepageLAOS, VIETNAM, TIMOR LESTE AND MORE
Politics of denial: South Korean war crimes in Vietnam
Civil society groups have driven several efforts to achieve government-level recognition and responsibility during the war, including a People’s Tribunal on War Crimes.
Going under? Belt and Road megaprojects and sovereign debt in Laos
Financial ruptures have flowed on from an aggressive dam-building spree in Laos.
Living Art under attack in Timor-Leste: Arte Moris
The eviction of the young nation's only art school has shown who holds the real power in Timor-Leste.
MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE AND BRUNEI
VISIT THE MALAYSIA HOME PAGE“Semut: The Untold Story of a Secret Australian Operation in WWII Borneo”
"....when you actually sit down and look at what happened, the locals were key participants in all of these war activities."
Politics of literary translation in plurilingual Malaysia and Singapore
Literary translations between languages becomes a conscious, if not political, effort to let one another be heard within the national context.
Scholarly Journeys: Substation and Singapore’s Academia
The Substation as we know it may be history, but its significance should not be written as an obituary.
Pop! Perspectives on the Past
Visit the Perspectives on the Past homepagePeace, prosperity, progress? The Paris Peace Agreements
VISIT THE PROJECT HOMEPAGECAMBODIA
VISIT THE CAMBODIA HOME PAGECambodian CSOs: constraints and opportunities in local governance
CSO’s activities have been suppressed by local members of the CPP and police & projects addressing communities collective concerns co-opted and controlled.
NBSEAS “Cambodia: From Pol Pot to Hun Sen and Beyond”
Despite best efforts to fashion Cambodia into a model liberal democracy, Hun Sen and the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) have eliminated all opposition.
Hydro-power projects and cultural rights for Bunong communities in Cambodia
The LSS2 dam blocked 2 of the Mekong River Basin's largest rivers, with serious social, economic and cultural impacts.
BOOK REVIEWS
New Books in SEAsia Studies: David Brenner’s ‘Rebel Politics’
Highlighting the hidden social dynamics and everyday practices of political violence, ethnic conflict, rebel governance and borderland politics.