International Organizations

23 September 2016

The recently concluded 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane, Laos again saw ASEAN give a muted response to the more contentious issues facing member states. This is largely a result of conflicting national interests between members in the absence of a cohesive framework to deal with such issues....

Featured Articles

30 August 2016

China in the G20 Spotlight

The G20 has become the key vehicle for implementing and promoting global economic governance. China is set to host this year’s G20 summit in Hangzhou on 4–5 September. What can we expect from the G20 under China’s leadership? The G20...

29 August 2016

Can Africa Benefit from a Greater G20 Role?

As China assumes leadership in the grouping, Beijing a wants greater role for Africa and the developing world in the G20. When China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke in the Hangzhou Summit in May, he made it clear that Beijing...

29 August 2016

How will the G20 Work in a Multi-polar World?

More than seven decades after 1945, international multilateral organizations continue to represent the victors of World War II, not the economic powerhouses of the 21st century. However, change is in the air. More than seven decades after 1945, international multilateral...

25 August 2016

Is ASEAN Sinking in the South China Sea?

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) judgement on the South China Sea ruled that there is no legal basis for Chinese ‘historical rights’ within its claimed nine-dash line. China did not accept the judgement and has instead continued its maritime...

23 August 2016

China’s G20 Mission should be Clear

In December 2015, China announced that its priorities for the upcoming G20 Hangzhou summit were to make the global economy more innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive. However, China is struggling to deliver practical outcomes in these areas because many of...

17 August 2016

ASEAN Tries to Hold it Together

Clouded by controversy even before it began, the recently concluded 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in Vientiane, Laos was conspicuous for two things: who was and was not present; and, perhaps more importantly, what was and was not discussed....

20 July 2016

The Philippines and China Look to the AIIB

The Philippines’ new President Rodrigo Duterte has indicated that China could play a key role in developing the Philippines’ infrastructure. Even before the election, Duterte announced that he is willing to back down on the South China Sea dispute with...

17 June 2016

ASEAN’s Diversity Challenge

As 2015 ended, members of ASEAN announced the realisation of the ASEAN Community, although it shall remain a ‘work in progress’. The ASEAN Community idea sets a roadmap for continuing the work of regional integration over the next decade. As...

17 June 2016

ASEAN+3 Strengthens its Surveillance Unit’s Powers

The first half of 2016 saw two notable steps in the development of regional financial institutions in Asia. The first occurred on 9 February 2016 when the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), the independent surveillance unit of the ASEAN+3 countries,...

20 May 2016

OPEC: Let the Bickering Continue

  The next OPEC meeting on 2 June will act as little more than a forum for continued altercations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.  The 2 June 2016 OPEC meeting will be held amid a backdrop of oil prices near $50 per...

20 May 2016

ASEAN can still Influence the TPP and OBOR

In 2016, Southeast Asia has found itself engaged in proactive regional initiatives led by major powers. The recently signed, but still to be ratified, US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is one attempt, while China’s land-based ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’ and ‘21st...

16 May 2016

Prioritizing the G7 Countries’ Priorties

Later this month, Japan will host the 42nd G7 summit. One point of discussion will be Japan’s plan to increase its consumption tax in April 2017. Nobel laureates Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz have come out against this plan, arguing...

9 May 2016

ASEAN+3 Could Find a Friend in the IMF

ASEAN+3 (the ASEAN members plus China, South Korea and Japan) was born from the ashes of the Asian financial crisis and the IMF’s response to it. It’s no secret that displeasure — if not hostility — to the policy prescriptions...