Southeast Asia Insights

When Malaysia launched the sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in 2009, it was presented as a project for economic growth and national development. Instead, it became one of the world’s largest corruption scandals.   Investigators alleged that more than $4.5 billion was diverted from the fund between 2009 and 2015. The money allegedly moved through offshore companies, luxury properties, artwork, yachts, and was ...

The Philippines entered the ASEAN summit in Cebu looking to shape the bloc's agenda. What emerged instead was a reminder of how little room Manila has when the bloc’s biggest crises remain unresolved.   Leaders discussed rising energy concerns, maritime security tensions, Myanmar’s unresolved conflict, and the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. Despite the discussions, the summit produced no major breakthroughs. In the end,...

The Philippine Senate became the center of a scary political crisis Wednesday night after gunfire erupted inside the building, hours after a top Rodrigo Duterte ally claimed police were coming to drag him to International Criminal Court (ICC).   The chaos struck Manila’s political core. Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Duterte’s former drug war enforcer, is wanted by the ICC in a crimes against humanity case tied to th...

On April 21, 2026, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi approved the export of advanced military equipment to 17 partner nations. This decision marks a major change in Japan’s long-held pacifist stance since World War II. The shift comes at a time of rising Chinese military activity, especially in the South China Sea. The result is a fast-changing security environment that could affect the balance of power across the region.   Japa...

A Philippine lawmaker has turned a tiny West Philippine Sea (WPS) sandbar into a direct challenge to Beijing. Representative Dadah Kiram Ismula reached Sandy Cay before dawn on May 3 and planted the Philippine flag, pushing back against China in one of Asia’s most intense maritime flashpoints.   The mission, organized with the civilian-led Atin Ito Coalition, was symbolic, risky, and openly defiant. The group said Ismula and voluntee...