Power

Political reporting and analysis on the big questions facing the region.

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Feb 01, 2019 • 4 min read

Brexit fallout Heavy impact far away

By Robin Spiess, Thomas Brent • Feb 01, 2019
A report outlines the effects that the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union could have on Cambodia and other countries in Southeast Asia

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Jan 25, 2019 • 10 min read

Singapore The desperation of migrant workers

By Silvia Boccardi • Jan 25, 2019
Southeast Asia Globe speaks with foreign workers and the aid organisations that help them get back on their feet after on-the-job injuries force them to battle with employers. A new law that takes effect in April could change the game

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Jan 24, 2019 • 4 min read

Children's rights How young can you be locked up in Southeast Asia?

By Thomas Brent • Jan 24, 2019
The Philippines’ House this week approved a bill that would lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility to just 12 years, as the government bids to crack down on gangs using children for illegal activities. Here, we look at the laws in the rest of Southeast Asia to see how the Philippines compares

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Jan 22, 2019 • 4 min read

The Philippines Why an autonomous Muslim region could be the best hope for peace

By Thomas Brent • Jan 22, 2019
The Muslim-majority areas in southern Philippines are voting in a historic plebiscite, as the people decide whether to pursue greater autonomy for the conflict-hit region. Southeast Asia Globe speaks to an expert about the vote’s significance and what it means for peace in the Philippines

Power • Jan 18, 2019 • 7 min read
EU Tariffs

Cambodia and Myanmar’s rice farmers under pressure

Cambodia and Myanmar will be forced to pay hefty tariffs to export rice to the European Union – and farmers fear that it will leave both nations’ rice industries in critical condition
By Robin Spiess

Power • Jan 17, 2019 • 9 min read
Technology

How blockchain could undermine censorship – forever

Blockchain technology, which supports cryptocurrencies, is being used in innovative ways to circumvent traditional information sharing and for political participation in parts of the world, notably Thailand. What could this mean for the rest of the region and the world?
By Lily Hess

Power • Jan 15, 2019 • 11 min read
Analysis

Could Vietnam hold the secret to North Korea’s future?

With Vietnam set for the next Trump-Kim summit, figures on both sides of the bargaining table are touting Vietnam’s Doi Moi reforms as a model for North Korea’s own economic liberalisation. But with a nuclear arsenal, a more prosperous neighbour to the south and decades of distance from the Cold War, Kim Jong-un may choose to walk a very different path
By Paul Millar

Power • Jan 15, 2019 • 9 min read
Myanmar

Why Tatmadaw attempts to ‘crush’ the Arakan Army will backfire

The Arakan Army was formed just under ten years ago but has quickly grown into a fierce military force in Myanmar. Its latest attacks, which fell on the country’s Independence Day, prompted an unprecedented response from Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, whose office ordered the state army to “crush” the insurgency group. But what will a crackdown achieve and why has the government called for it?
By Thomas Brent

Power • Jan 14, 2019 • 15 min read
Universal basic income

The cost of living

Fuelled by rampant poverty and fears that rising automation will strip millions of low-skilled workers of their livelihoods, more and more countries are exploring the idea of a universal basic income that guarantees a livelihood for all their citizens
By Paul Millar

Power • Dec 25, 2018 • 15 min read
Whatever happened to

Vietnam’s forgotten veterans

On Christmas Day 40 years ago, 150,000 Vietnamese troops crossed the border into Cambodia to drive the murderous Khmer Rouge regime from power. Decades later, those men remain haunted by their memories
By Paul Millar

Power • Dec 18, 2018 • 15 min read
Belt and Road

Operation Mekong

China is exercising a level of economic influence on the Mekong states not seen since the height of its imperial might
By Bernhard Zand