Southeast Asia Insights

In 2015, Malaysia was rocked by the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, a massive corruption case involving the state-owned investment fund. The revelations sent shockwaves across the country and the world when it emerged that billions of dollars—an estimated RM 20.1 billion (about $4.5 billion)—intended for national development had instead been siphoned off to finance luxury goods, lavish lifestyles, high-profile global inve...

Long-standing border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand flared into open conflict this July, leaving dozens dead and displacing more than 300,000 people before a ceasefire was reached. At the center of the dispute is Preah Vihear, an 11th-century Hindu temple perched on a cliff along the contested border, a site that carries both sacred and national significance for the two countries.   In 2008, Preah Vihear was designated a UNESC...

On August 25, 2025, public demonstrations erupted in Indonesia after members of the House of Representatives were given a monthly housing allowance equivalent to ten times Jakarta’s minimum...

Border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand spiraled from temple protests in February into open conflict by July, leaving dozens dead and displacing more than 300,000 people before international pressure forced a ceasefire. The truce, while significant, is only a temporary pause as the core of the crisis, a centuries-old dispute over prized Hindu temple ruins, remains unresolved. Looming over the situation is the shadow of global rivalry, with ...

National identity is never built on politics alone, instead drawing strength from culture, memory, and symbols that resonate in everyday life. Religion, in particular, often serves as a reservoir of m...