Asia Program

Southeast Asia is one of the world’s most natural disaster-prone regions. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific estimates that natural disasters drain the region of upwards of $86.5 billion in average annual economic losses.

Secretary Austin’s itinerary in Singapore and Thailand is meant to reinforce the United States’ commitment to the Indo-Pacific as a priority theater amid the Biden administration’s global security priorities.

Cambodia’s June 5 commune elections came and went without much in the way of surprises.

About 31 million Filipinos voted for Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. Social media emerged as a critical platform for fostering nostalgia for the martial law period, glamourizing the Marcos family, and whitewashing the history of the Marcos regime.

In Tokyo on May 23, President Biden announced the formation of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The framework will bring together the United States and a dozen other Indo-Pacific countries.

During this time of global energy instability, the United States is uniquely positioned to provide critical assistance in the Mekong region. The mechanisms for doing this already exist, including the Japan-U.S.-Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP).

On May 11, 2022, Vietnamese prime minister Pham Minh Chinh gave public remarks at CSIS ahead of the U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit. From his 45-minute speech, there were three main takeaways.

The U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit kicks off today in Washington. The United States followed ASEAN’s lead in refusing to invite coup leader Min Aung Hlaing but offering a spot to a “non-political representative” of Myanmar—an offer the junta has consistently refused.

The Cambodian People's Party's heavy-handed response to the Candlelight Party has betrayed the ruling party’s evident concern about people’s waning patience with Hun Sen and the status quo.