Anchored by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Southeast Asia is one of the most dynamic and diverse regions in Asia. It includes Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Over the past 50 years, Southeast Asian nations have managed to overcome instability and conflict to build a successful multilateral forum that promotes regional cooperation and consensus-building among a highly distinct and internally diverse group of countries.
ASPI’s work on Southeast Asia focuses on policy dialogues and solution-oriented projects and recommendations reports, as well as sharing insights about and perspectives from the region through public events and expert commentary. ASPI conducts projects that aim to enhance the security, prosperity, and sustainability of the region, as well as advance Southeast Asia’s relations with the United States and the rest of the Asia-Pacific. For instance, ASPI’s U.S.-Myanmar Track II dialogue helped inform policymakers in both countries at a time that Myanmar’s government was inching toward reform and opening up to the international community.
Featured Initiatives
Reports
Featured Countries
Commentary
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interviewASPI's Director for Asian Security, Lindsey Ford spoke with CCTV in August 2016 about Malaysia's new security law and the difficulty of balancing security and civil liberties when governments attempt to fight terrorism.
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Partnership Is the New Alliance: Why U.S.-Singapore Relations Should Be a Model for the U.S. in Asia
Matt Stumpf of the Asia Society Policy Institute argues, “America’s success in building partnerships on the U.S.-Singapore model will determine whether U.S. engagement in Asia flourishes in the 21st century.” -
Dewi Astuti of the Asia Society Policy Institute argues that President Jokowi of Indonesia and his newly appointed cabinet must begin showing their international savvy at the APEC Summit and other key meetings over the next two weeks.
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Ben Bland, Indonesia Correspondent for the Financial Times, assesses Indonesia’s presidential election and how the election could affect Indonesia’s economy and political affairs.
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Shom Sen, Wadsworth Fellow with ASPI, examines the impact of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement on its tenth anniversary and considers what it might mean for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
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Appearing on Bloomberg TV, Asia Society Senior Fellow Jamie Metzl argued that China sees an opportunity to gain influence in Asia Pacific as the U.S. tends to other international concerns.
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China scholars contrast American and Chinese approaches to investment and development worldwide.
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Myanmar offers lessons, writes Suzanne DiMaggio in the New York Times.