Southeast Asia Insights

The United States is expanding its missile footprint in northern Philippines, deploying systems capable of striking targets more than 1,600 kilometers away. From bases in Luzon and Batanes, these new platforms place parts of eastern China, including Shanghai, within range.   The move marks a sharp escalation in the US-Philippine security partnership and reflects a broader shift in regional military strategy as tensions intensify in the Sou...

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) marked the 50th anniversary of its foundational peace pact, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), on February 24, 2026. The treaty was first signed in 1976 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand to promote peace, respect for sovereignty, non-interference, and peaceful settlement of disputes.   For five decades, the TAC helped keep large-scal...

Rakhine State, in western Myanmar, is facing one of its darkest periods in decades. Long plagued by poverty, weak infrastructure, and ethnic tensions, the region has slipped deeper into crisis since Myanmar’s military coup in 2021.   Fighting between the military junta and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group rooted in Rakhine, has intensified. Although the Arakan Army now controls much of the state, its advances have slowed, prolo...

China has agreed to prioritize backchannel talks with the Philippines as confrontations in the West Philippine Sea continue to strain relations. The commitment came after a meeting between Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan and Philippine Senator Erwin Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.   Both sides signaled a preference for quieter diplomacy over public exchanges. The purpose of this is to reduce media escalation, reopen ...

Diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases on the planet. Southeast Asia has not been immune and is now facing its own diabetes epidemic. Health experts warn that the crisis is no longer just about blood sugar levels, but about lives, livelihoods, and national economies.   Nearly 600 million adults now live with diabetes worldwide, and millions die each year from problems linked to the disease. Health systems are under pressure, espec...