Power

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

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Nov 04, 2019 • 8 min read

ISIS al-Baghdadi blowback

By Zachary Abuza • Nov 04, 2019
The ISIS leader’s death and fallout from Turkey’s invasion of Syria have fuelled concerns that jihadists could open a home front

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Nov 01, 2019 • 15 min read

War on drugs Duterte’s inquisition

By Purple S. Romero • Nov 01, 2019
Priests pushing back against the Philippine government’s popular crackdown are facing lawsuits, threats and assassination

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Oct 22, 2019 • 8 min read

Cambodian Politics The return

By Paul Millar • Oct 22, 2019
On November 9, Cambodia’s opposition leaders have promised to return to the Kingdom to take the fight to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party. We spoke to senior CNRP politician Mu Sochua about her fast-approaching date with destiny

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Oct 17, 2019 • 12 min read

Sihanoukville Time to rebuild

By Kevin Livingston • Oct 17, 2019
Since Prime Minister Hun Sen announced a ban on online gambling, tens of thousands of Chinese nationals have left Sihanoukville on Cambodia’s coast. But the road to rebuilding seems a long one indeed

Power • Oct 11, 2019 • 10 min read
Thai monarchy

Good to be the King

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s public embrace of polygamy is the latest signal he intends to be an all-powerful absolute monarch
By Andrew MacGregor Marshall • Oct 11, 2019

Power • Oct 10, 2019 • 10 min read
Geopolitics

Public enemies

Long accused by its critics of serving as a Vietnamese puppet, Cambodia's government now stands condemned of trying to serve two masters
By Paul Millar • Oct 10, 2019

Power • Oct 02, 2019 • 6 min read
Protesting China

Vietnam’s vanguard

China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea are bitterly resented by Vietnamese citizens – but their protests depend more on the ruling regime than on people power
By Benedict J. Tria Kerkvliet • Oct 02, 2019

Power • Oct 01, 2019 • 6 min read
Opinion

Red flags

Seven decades on from the founding of the People's Republic of China, the inequalities that laid the foundation for years of socialist struggle across Southeast Asia remain rife across the region
By Paul Millar • Oct 01, 2019

Power • Sep 26, 2019 • 9 min read
Myanmar politics

Life of the party

Seemingly unbeatable ahead of elections next year, Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party has nonetheless struggled to achieve much during nearly four years in office
By Hunter Marston and Abigail Chen • Sep 26, 2019

Power • Sep 19, 2019 • 5 min read
Climate strikes

Striking out

Across the world, teenagers are striking to protest the climate crisis. We look at why the region's own stand against the fossil fuel industry is so important
By Andrew Haffner • Sep 19, 2019

Power • Sep 19, 2019 • 6 min read
Thai politics

A nation on hold

Thirteen years ago today, Thaksin Shinawatra’s overthrow by the Thai military sparked a political crisis that has set the nation’s progress back more than a decade
By Giles Ji Ungpakorn • Sep 19, 2019

Power • Sep 17, 2019 • 8 min read
Thai politics

Waiting in the wings

More than a decade on from the overthrow of Thaksin Shinawatra, the monarchy-backed military still rules supreme in Thailand. But with Prayuth Chan-ocha struggling to keep his civilian coalition in line, he could soon find himself looking over his shoulder
By Pavin Chachavalpongpun • Sep 17, 2019