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ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute: A prominent Singapore-based research institute and statutory board, ISEAS is dedicated to the study of Southeast Asia’s socio-political, security, and economic trends. Established in 1968 and renamed in 2015 in honour of Singapore’s first President, Yusof Ishak, it serves as a national and regional resource centre. Its main activities include conducting extensive research programmes, hosting conferences, and publishing academic works. The institute is recognised for stimulating scholarly debate and enhancing public awareness of the region.
Vehicles are in Malaysia’s southern Johor state just after passing the causeway from Singapore. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

Causeway obstacle: Johor’s Singapore workers weigh trip home for election

Congestion and potential immigration glitches at the border could deter some Johoreans working in Singapore from heading back to vote.

China Railway

UAE debuts first passenger train network built by Chinese contractors

Indonesia

Civil trainee deaths spur criticisms of Prabowo’s reliance on military drill

Malaysia

Mahathir and PAS demand Malay unity in Malaysia’s Johor poll

The state election is serving as a testing ground for a cross-party Malay alliance, threatening traditional coalition loyalties.

A combination photograph shows Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad (left) and PAS chief Abdul Hadi Awang overlaid with a transparent Malaysian flag. Photos: Reuters, AFP
Indonesia

Asian Angle | Liberal Islam in Indonesia is sliding into irrelevance

Political entanglements and ideological schisms have left the pioneering Liberal Islam Network in disarray.

Singapore

Why Wong-Putin meeting doesn’t mean Singapore’s going soft on Russia

Singapore needs to balance its tough stance on the Ukraine war with its responsibilities towards other Asean nations, experts say.

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Singapore

Sin to salvation: how Singapore’s most notorious mall found God

Orchard Towers, once a byword for vice, is now part of a megachurch trend repurposing retail spaces from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur.

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Orchard Towers in Singapore pictured on Friday. Cornerstone Community Church officially opened weekly services at the Orchard Road landmark in January. Photo: Jean Iau
Vietnam

Asian Angle | When the US comes for Cuba, what can Vietnam do?

Vietnam has stood by Cuba for 60 years. Now Washington is raising the price of that friendship – and Hanoi must decide what it’s worth.

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Asean

Can Russia secure ‘third power’ status in Southeast Asia with energy push?

While energy may be ‘a good opening’ for Russia to boost Asean ties, analysts say its relevance in the region is unlikely to grow.

Malaysia

Malaysia and Asean tap Russia for energy security, defying Western ‘prejudices’

At the Asean-Russia summit in Kazan, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signalled the bloc’s willingness to engage with Moscow on trade.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a gala dinner on the sidelines of the Russia-Asean summit in Kazan, Russia, on Wednesday. Photo: Handout/AP
China trade

After US-Iran deal, tanking oil prices, analysts see ‘grey area’ for China firms

‘There’s still uncertainty on the longevity of this deal’, ING analyst says as traders wait to see if sanctions will be lifted while weighing potential for Israeli interference.

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A tanker is seen unloading imported crude oil at a terminal port in China’s Shandong province on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Thailand’s Thaksin is out of jail, but can he ‘leave politics behind’?

While the former PM is ‘no longer a political magnet’, analysts say he will still be behind the scenes as Pheu Thai tries to make a comeback.

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Asean

Asian Angle | China builds Southeast Asia expertise as the US lets it wither

Yet neither power will truly grasp this complex, diverse region if they continue to treat it merely as a geopolitical chessboard.

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Thailand

Thailand and Vietnam team up in an Asean ‘plus or minus’ gamble

Southeast Asia’s second- and third-largest economies opt for bilateral insurance over reliance on the regional bloc.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul welcomes Vietnam’s President To Lam to Bangkok’s Government House complex on May 28. Photo: Sopa Images/Zuma Press Wire/dpa
Asean

Asean at 60: peace, prosperity and polite paralysis

Non-interference bought decades of stability, but now breeds inaction. Is Asean due an overhaul?

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Malaysia

Malaysia’s hunt for Russian oil tests Anwar’s ‘friends with all’ policy

Sourcing crude from Moscow to counter Middle East supply shocks risks drawing a backlash from the West.

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Asean

As Putin courts Southeast Asia, does ‘Russia need Asean more’?

Southeast Asia needs energy. Russia needs friends. Next week’s summit in Kazan could offer opportunities for both sides.

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Donald Trump

Trump’s forced-labour tariffs put Southeast Asia in the firing line

Washington’s proposed tariffs of 10 per cent to 12.5 per cent could push regional countries to accelerate economic integration.

Asean leaders gather at the opening ceremony of bloc’s summit in Cebu last month. Seven Asean members are in Washington’s list of 60 economies targeted for “forced labour” tariffs. Photo: AP
Indonesia

Opinion | Indonesia’s labour movement is deeply divided over political patronage

Rival rallies reveal a fundamental clash between a co-opted union elite and an independent grass-roots movement.

Asean

Asian Angle | Where Southeast Asians really want to live, work and travel

While Thailand leads for tourism, Singapore and Japan are the top draws for work, revealing uneven regional soft power dynamics.

Singapore

Sustained security can’t come from ‘barrel of a gun’: East Timor’s Ramos-Horta

At the Shangri-La Dialogue, the East Timor president cites Asean as an example of how communication can prevent conflict and yield dividends.

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Jose Ramos-Horta, president of East Timor, speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Asian Angle | Malaysia’s 3R catch-all risks turning every grievance into a threat

Conflating local governance concerns with racial and religious slights threatens pluralism and stifles legitimate public policy debate.

Thousands of protesters rally near a mosque in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate the Malaysian government’s withdrawal of plans to ratify a UN anti-discrimination convention in 2018. Photo: AP
US-Asean relations

Tariffs, war and broken trust: Southeast Asia’s Trump problem

Disillusioned by US unpredictability, the region is learning to diversify – while Trump treats allies as bargaining chips.

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Malaysia

Beyond bans: why fringe Islamic movements still find followers in Malaysia

Observers say the appeal of alternative religious communities cannot be addressed by bans and rehabilitation classes alone.

The Philippines

Marcos’ historic Japan trip: what will Philippine leader seek from Takaichi?

Japan is a key counterweight for the Philippines to deal with its maritime challenges in the South China Sea, analysts say.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) shakes hands with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr ahead of their talks in Kuala Lumpur in October last year. Photo: Kyodo
Ageing society

Asian Angle | Asia’s silver dividend can offset ageing’s economic toll

Research shows demographic decline hits productivity, not workforce size. Keeping older workers active through technology is the solution.

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A street food hawker waits for customers by a roadside in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 12. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

Asian Angle | What the China-US stability pact means for Southeast Asia

The real test of Beijing and Washington’s adoption of ‘constructive strategic stability’ will be how words translate into action.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s oil hub pitch collides with Asean’s trust deficit

Joint energy security is easy to endorse in principle, yet the bloc has a stubborn record of leaving its emergency frameworks untouched.

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