ASEAN

Asia Times highlights a book review by Southeast Asia regional security expert Benjamin Zawacki, focusing on “Southeast Asia’s Multipolar Future: Averting a New Cold War.” The book is authored by Thomas Parks, the Country Representative of The Asia Foundation in Thailand. A century ago, American humorist Robert Benchley quipped that there are “two… Read more

Southeast Asia is rapidly becoming a competitive space for geopolitical rivalries. Will U.S.-Chinese tensions create a new Cold War divide in Southeast Asia?

The Asia Foundation is teaming up with the ASEAN Foundation, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), and the governments of Australia, India, and Singapore to host the East Asia Summit (EAS) Hackathon on Combatting Marine Plastic. The hackathon is calling for applicants aged 18-25 from across the Asia-Pacific to ta… Read more

Now more than ever, Asia’s smallest businesses and entrepreneurs need to be online. This project has already trained nearly a quarter million.

The ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) and The Asia Foundation released the Go Digital ASEAN Impact Summary Report today to mark this year’s international Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (MSME) Day. Implemented in ten ASEAN Member States in 2021 and 2022, the US$3.3M “Go Digital ASEAN” public… Read more

On Thursday, March 24, The Asia Foundation, in partnership with Ramboll, Kore Global, and the Asian Development Bank, brought together more than 120 stakeholders from 14 cities in six Southeast Asian countries for the first in a series of online dialogues under the DFAT-funded ASEAN Australia Smart Cities Trust Fund. The Trust Fund supports city go… Read more

9:00 am – 10:15 am ET 2022 will be the year of another major task for Cambodia, after being the host of the recent 13th Asia-Europe Summit in November 2021. Cambodia’s upcoming chairmanship of ASEAN will be Cambodia’s 3rd time as chair since its admission to ASEAN in 1999. With The Asia Foundation’s support, CICP has undertaken a major book project… Read more

A special task force convened by The Asia Foundation has presented its findings on U.S.–Southeast Asia relations to the Biden administration. Here are the headlines.

Southeast Asian leaders are accustomed to fluctuating levels of attention from the United States, but U.S. policy for Southeast Asia in the past four years might be described as more than a fluctuation. Changes in diplomatic direction and trade policy have led to a loss of U.S. focus and influence in the region, while heightened U.S.-China tensions… Read more

The ASEAN Secretariat profiles The Asia Foundation’s report ASEAN Rapid Assessment: The Impact of Covid-19 on Livelihoods across ASEAN in a special edition of the The ASEAN magazine. To support policymakers in understanding the impacts and developing inclusive policies for the people to resume their lives in the post-pandemic period, ASEAN recently… Read more

The Asia Foundation is inviting applications for the 2021 YSEALI Future Workforce Workshop implemented by the Foundation with the U.S. Embassy in Singapore. The Workshop, for students, entrepreneurs, and young professionals ages 20-35 from across ASEAN will be held virtually from May 16 to May 23, 2021. The virtual workshop will include a series of… Read more

The ASEAN Rapid Assessment is a product of the partnership between The ASEAN Secretariat and The Asia Foundation and with support from The Rockefeller Foundation and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It has informed the development of ASEAN post-2020 sectoral work plans as well as the Implementation Plan of ASEAN… Read more

Nikkei Asian Review features The Asia Foundation and the Go Digital ASEAN initiative in an op-ed written by President of Google Asia Pacific Scott Beaumont. Third, in places where there are intractable digital access gaps that need special attention, we should put in place more targeted programs to rebalance the scales. The Asia Foundation — with… Read more

The ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) and The Asia Foundation have come together, to launch the Go Digital ASEAN initiative. Supported by a USD3.3m grant from Google.org, the initiative is designed to equip micro and small enterprises as well as underemployed youth, particularly those in rural and isolate… Read more

The project “Go Digital ASEAN: Digital skills to address the economic impact of COVID-19” was approved for implementation by the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) during its 8th Meeting in November 2019. The collaboration between the ACCMSME and The Asia Foundation, supported by Google.org demonstrates sy… Read more

A Thomson Reuters Foundation feature article, “Digital lifeline for women running Asia’s small businesses,” examines digital access for marginalized groups across Southeast Asia, facing financial pressures long before Covid-19. Go Digital ASEAN is a new digital literacy initiative supported by Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, to train up to… Read more

Covid-19 in Southeast Asia is hitting small, mom-and-pop businesses particularly hard. As other enterprises move online to survive, can the region’s microentrepreneurs compete without digital tools? It will be a challenge.

From the white sand beaches of Thailand to the lush mountains of Laos, tourism in Southeast Asia has brought more trash to nations already wrestling with solid waste. Can ecotourism stem the tide?

Al Jazeera highlights developments from the 35th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, including the delay in signing what would have become the world’s biggest trading bloc. The segment features analysis by Thomas Parks, country representative for The Asia Foundation in Thailand. View the entire interview. 

Forbes publishes an opinion piece co-authored by Thomas Parks, country representative for The Asia Foundation in Thailand. Ahead of the 35th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, the article “ASEAN Can Lead Sustainable And Inclusive Economic Development, Here’s How” examines regional development cooperation as a crucial arena for ASEAN. Read related report.

(Photo: TheLightPainter/Shutterstock) Political leaders are under constant pressure to introduce new initiatives, because new implies better, and that’s the nature of politics. Even clever repackaging of previous efforts is often not enough. So, it was quite a surprise when, in June 2018, Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha hosted a summit to res… Read more

U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo came to the 52nd annual ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bangkok with one message in mind: that America is committed to engagement with the region, and with Thailand, a treaty ally, in particular. Speaking to a packed house at the Siam Society on August 1, in the heart of Bangkok, Pompeo said the United States… Read more

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) names The Asia Foundation as a participant in the ASEAN Regional Strategic Planning Workshop held November 21 – December 1. The three-day workshop, “The ASEAN Regional Strategic Planning Workshop: Development of ASEAN Campaign in support of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Vi… Read more

Development cooperation is taking on new geopolitical significance. Earlier this month, the U.S. Congress passed legislation to create the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, which is intended to help stimulate private-sector infrastructure investment in the developing world. Asia is one of the primary targets for this new instituti… Read more

Despite growing geopolitical pressure in recent years, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remains a linchpin of the rules-based order in the strategic Southeast Asia region. This week, The Asia Foundation released a new report, ASEAN as the Architect for Regional Development Cooperation, examining ASEAN’s role in addressing regional… Read more

This study examines the role that ASEAN plays in addressing regional development issues and shaping development assistance in Southeast Asia. The main intention of the study is to provide insights and recommendations on how ASEAN can play a more catalytic role in addressing regional development challenges, and maintain ASEAN Centrality through shap… Read more

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm EDT Choate Room, First Floor, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036 50 years since its founding, ASEAN is at an important crossroads. Increasing geopolitical competition is putting new pressure on ASEAN centrality. Neighboring powers, such as China, are finding new methods for exerting influence through soft power an… Read more

The Asia Foundation is leading a series of programs to encourage stronger relations between Thailand and the United States. Thailand is America’s oldest friend and ally in Asia, a connection dating to the presidency of James Monroe. However, bilateral relations have been under strain in recent years with the growing influence of China and the chall… Read more

Traditional classrooms in ASEAN countries are exceptional for turning out high-performing students, well-skilled in memorization, recitation, and deference to seniority, an approach some say doesn’t equip students for a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and rapidly changing world. According to the World Economic Forum, young people will best succeed in the… Read more

Last month, heads of state gathered in Singapore for the 32nd annual ASEAN Summit to discuss a wide variety of issues—from the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea and the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, to advancing regional economic integration and navigating geopolitical power shifts. At a time when domestic political transform… Read more

On Nov. 30, 2017, Thailand and Southeast Asia lost a diplomat of great stature, charm, and eloquence when Dr. Surin Pitsuwan suddenly died due to a heart attack at the age of 68. I first learned of Surin almost four decades ago when I lived and worked in Thailand. Surin was a political science professor at Thammasat University in Bangkok, but he wa… Read more

Regional security in Southeast Asia, to a large extent, means maritime security. All but one of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states are coastal states; two of these are the world’s largest archipelagic nations. The joint communiqué of the recent 50th ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Manila, Philippines, highlighte… Read more

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and, in this past May, the 40th anniversary of the United States being a dialogue partner with ASEAN. ASEAN is the number one destination for U.S. direct investment in Asia at $274 billion, more than U.S. investment to China, India, Japan, and… Read more

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) turned 50 yesterday, August 8, which should be cause for celebration. But is 50 an energized mid-life birthday, or is it an ominous marker of faltering health for ASEAN? The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) turned 50 yesterday on August 8. Photo Conor Ashleigh As in all things multila… Read more

With the geopolitics of Southeast Asia and changing rapidly and substantially, an opportunity presents for a timely and thoughtful deliberation on the role ASEAN can play in the region. This enduring union of 10 member states has made great strides in becoming a formidable regional body. At the same time, the region is facing radically new and comp… Read more

Fifty years after its founding, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has forged a successful and enduring union of 10 member states, cultivating a common identity and organizational coherence that are unique within the broader geopolitics of Asia. Efforts to build on achievements to date and fulfill the economic growth potential of an… Read more

5:30 – 8:00 PM Bechtel Conference Center 500 Washington Street, San Francisco, CA 94131 Southeast Asia was key to former President Obama’s “rebalance” towards Asia, with countries in the region seen as vital partners on issues such as economic integration and trade, balancing an ascendant China, security in the South China Seas, and the nuclear sta… Read more

Photo courtesy of Flicker user Dinh Linh Marina Mandarin Hotel 6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square, Singapore 039594 ASEAN has forged a successful and enduring union of 10 member states, cultivating a common identity and organizational coherence that are unique within the broader geopolitics of Asia. In collaboration with U.S. Embassy Singapore, The… Read more

On January 28, I arrived in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, one of the 16 cities that make up “Metro Manila,” the most densely populated urban area in the world—reaching an estimated daytime population of 17 million people, or about 1/6 of the country’s population. It was my first visit to Manila and I was excited about meeting with governm… Read more

The Philippines will serve as ASEAN Chair in 2017, at which time ASEAN will mark its 50th anniversary. Having successfully served as host of APEC in 2015, the country has demonstrated that facilitating massive, significant international events is well within its capability—thus observers’ attention can focus on substance instead of administrative d… Read more

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is now America’s fourth-largest trading partner. Two-way trade in goods and services has tripled since the 1990s and the United States is the largest source of foreign direct investment in ASEAN. More than 560,000 U.S. jobs, accounting for 7 percent of the total U.S. jobs, are supported by goods an… Read more

This month, the Southeast Asian nation of Laos hosted two of the region’s most important annual gatherings—the ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit—in its capital, Vientiane. President Barack Obama, who led the U.S. delegation, made history by becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the country. The excitement surrounding the events was… Read more

In 2013, I had dinner with six Thai high school teachers who had been my students back when I taught English at a university in Bangkok in the late 1970s. A few of them I had not seen in more than 30 years. Most of our conversation focused on the personal, talking about family and friends, and how our lives had evolved after first meeting 35 years… Read more

When President Obama meets with the 10 Southeast Asian leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next week in California, it will be an opportunity to expand and deepen U.S.-ASEAN relations. At the third ASEAN-U.S. Summit held in Kuala Lumpur last November, the U.S. and ASEAN elevated their relationship to a “strategic partnership.”

This decade marks a radical shift in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states’ attitudes toward its role in the region. The idea of an ASEAN regional peacekeeping cooperation was first raised in 1994, but never gained traction among member states.

In the last year, Asia experienced both highs and lows: historic elections in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, devastating earthquakes in South Asia, booming growth in India and slumping economies in China and Mongolia, anti-government protests in Malaysia, South Korea, and beyond, aging populations juxtaposed with unprecedented youth bulges…

From November 14-22, President Obama will embark on a three-stop overseas trip, beginning in Turkey to attend the G20, followed by a stop in Manila for the APEC summit, and ending in Malaysia where he will meet with Asian leaders for the 10th East Asian Summit (EAS) and U.S.-ASEAN Summit.

2015 is a year of economic change for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as the region seeks to establish the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by December 31. The AEC will usher in a single economic market for the ASEAN member nations – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – allowing the free movement of goods, services, skilled labor, and capital. The reorganization of the region’s economy will be a step toward ASEAN’s “Vision 2020,” which calls for a unified partnership that is outward-looking, peaceful, stable, prosperous, and developing in a dynamic way.

2015 is a critical year for the Asia-Pacific region. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), backed by the U.S. Senate’s recent approval of “fast-track” authority, is now entering the final round of negotiations in Hawaii. Another Asian free trade agreement (FTA), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), is also due by the end of 2015, with a round of substantive talks in August and another to come in October.

As ASEAN countries have moved up the technology ladder and the demand for skills has grown, a labor gap has emerged that mirrors the gap between more- and less-developed nations. Higher-income countries such as Thailand, with falling birthrates and greying populations, are suffering from growing labor shortages in sectors such as healthcare and IT, while lower-income countries face burgeoning youth populations and high levels of graduate unemployment.

Economic integration, embodied in the Economic Community pillar of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is one of three key pillars that form the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community — in part envisioning a single economic entity by 2015. Difficulties in implementing the Political-Security and Socio-Cultural Pillars could, in some instances… Read more

2015 is a crucial year for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – particularly so for Malaysia which officially assumed its chairmanship last month. Among other goals, December 31 is the target date for the creation of an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)…

Southeast Asia enters 2015 facing a number of critical challenges that will have a bearing on its future: Can economic integration be achieved among all 10 members of ASEAN? How might maritime security disputes unite or splinter ASEAN? Will democracy in Myanmar continue to develop apace? Will democratic development in Thailand be further weakened? Also looming large is the question of whether the U.S. can ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a key economic ingredient in the country’s rebalancing strategy toward Asia. Below are some of my predictions on these issues.

A year ago, I predicted that one of the main stories of 2014 in the Philippines would be recovery efforts from Typhoon Haiyan, and indeed it took until October (almost the one-year anniversary) for final approval of the massive rehabilitation phase.

2014 will be remembered as the year when China became the world’s biggest economy in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, overtaking the United States for the first time in history. This move, which did not come as a surprise, is the sign of a superpower transition…

Season’s Greetings! On behalf of In Asia’s editorial board and bloggers, we thank you for your engagement and continued readership throughout the year. We’ll be taking a short break, but will return on January 7. In the meantime, catch up on our must-read pieces and highlights on the most pressing events and issues in Asia throughout 2014.

Wednesday marked the first day of the week-long Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, hosted this year in Beijing. This year’s summit, themed “Shaping the Future through Asia-Pacific Partnership,” brings together ministerial leaders, CEOs of global corporations, and other leading voices in the private and public sectors to discuss the challenges facing Asian-Pacific economies. The week will culminate with the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on November 10-11. Heads of states from all 21 member economies, including U.S. President Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping…

What issues remain for ASEAN as 2015 integration approaches and how will these issues likely be addressed? Is ASEAN economic integration making progress and how will it fit into the global economy? How will Asia’s rising regionalism through various architecture (EAS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, etc.) and the United States’ forward presence in the region coex… Read more

Less than one week after midterm elections in the United States, President Obama will travel to Asia to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum from November 10-11 in Beijing, and the East Asia Summit from November 13-14 in Naypyidaw, Myanmar.

The Asia Foundation hosted four U.S. ambassadors to Asia at its headquarters in San Francisco on October 9 for “ASEAN Matters,” a panel discussion on why Asia is crucial to the United States’ economic growth. In Asia editor Alma Freeman sat down with U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Robert Blake…

As the 2015 deadline for an integrated ASEAN Economic Community approaches, on Oct. 24, The Asia Foundation will bring together five leading scholars from the region to Washington, D.C., for a panel discussion on Asia’s rising regionalism and issues that remain for achieving regional integration. As part of the Foundation’s “Asian Perspectives Seri… Read more

On October 9, The Asia Foundation hosted a discussion at its San Francisco headquarters with U.S. Ambassadors to Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore on ASEAN/U.S. trade and recent charged events on the ground in Asia. Follow @Asia_Foundation on Twitter for updates, and stay tuned for more.

By the end of 2015, the long-anticipated ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is set to come into effect, covering 16 countries, 600 million people, with a combined GDP worth of $2.3 trillion. While the AEC is intended to bring about broad-based economic benefits by creating a more competitive economic region…

Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan and India since early September have resulted in some of the worst flooding in decades, requiring immediate relief response, as hundreds of people have already lost their lives and millions more are affected.

The Filipino workforce has long been considered to be internationally competitive, exemplified in its impressive performance in the business process outsourcing and overseas labor markets. However, it is only recently that Philippine competitiveness has been recognized on a global scale.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have exhibited high growth rates over the past decades, weathering even the worst of the global financial crisis. This impressive growth and accompanying rise in household income has brought great benefits to the ASEAN population…

With the December 2015 target date for the economic integration of ASEAN fast approaching, last week ADB economist Jayant Menon echoed increasing skepticism as to whether the targets for integration could be met.

The Asia Foundation’s director of Regional Cooperation Programs, John J. Brandon, speaks with Thailand’s Ambassador to the U.S. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, who served as a Congressional Fellow sponsored by The Asia Foundation.

Google “newest democracy” and you are likely to find the young island nation of Timor-Leste among the top hits. Do the same for “media censorship,” however, and the top results are of nations not exactly known for promoting democratic values such as Russia and China. However, right now, Timor-Leste’s national parliament…

Trade experts gathered in Bangkok this week for the release of The Asia Foundation’s report, “Trade Facilitation and Cost of Non-Cooperation to Consumers in the ASEAN Economic Community.” Based on first-hand interviews, surveys, and economic data analysis, report authors explore the real-world consequences of trade barriers for consumers and offer… Read more

In mid-February, Singapore hosted Asia’s largest aerospace exhibition. Organizers of the week-long Singapore Air Show were hoping that $25 billion in deals would be signed, but by week’s end, expenditures had already surpassed that, reaching $32 billion in deals inked to help meet the demand for inexpensive, short-range travel. In 2010, sales amounted to what now seems a paltry $10 billion.