Simon Tay

THE WRITER IS CHAIRMAN OF THE SINGAPORE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (SIIA). THE SIIA ORGANISES THE ASEAN THINK TANK SUMMIT WITH A NETWORK OF POLICY INSTITUTES AND THE SUPPORT OF THE ASEAN SECRETARIAT.

Beyond state elections, the coalition of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is also contending with pressures building beneath the surface.
POLITICS THAT MATTER

Malaysia’s stability dividend faces its next test as state elections loom

In Malaysia, energy subsidies remain a key challenge for government finances. Yet any reform or reduction must be balanced against rising living costs.
POLITICS THAT MATTER

Growth and stability in the storm: steering Asean economies together

The chokehold on Strait of Hormuz has revealed a new geo-economic weapon that impacts not only energy but sectors such as transport, fertilisers and chemicals.
THE POLITICS THAT MATTER

Singapore’s resilience and ‘unnatural resourcefulness’ amid global shocks

A residential building hit by an air strike in Teheran. Unless Iran collapses, we must foresee that an injured state will renew every effort to rebuild and strike back, says the writer.
THE POLITICS THAT MATTER

The fog of the Iran war

With its clear win, the conservative Bhumjaithai party led by Anutin Charnvirakul (centre) is well-placed to form a government with a comfortable majority. 
POLITICS THAT MATTER

Moving Thailand forward: Between stability and reform

For Asia, rather than fearing and loathing Trump 2.0, the better course will be to adapt and engage pragmatically on new terms.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

Revolutionary America and ‘Asia Alone’

Minus-two strategies resist a binary choice between the US and China, and emphasise multipolarity and the agency of even small states, such as Singapore..
POLITICS THAT MATTER

New initiatives for a ‘minus-two’ world

Sino-American tensions and US President Donald Trump’s actions are critically important, yet not everything should hinge on the US and China.
POLITICS THAT MATTER

A long year that is not over

During his Asia tour, Trump hogged the headlines from that first jig when he arrived at Kuala Lumpur airport. When Trump chooses to turn up, it is his agenda for America that is not only first but perhaps the only item on the agenda.
POLITICS THAT MATTER

Asean in a ‘Minus One’ world

As nations react to a multipolar and shifting world, Asean must step up to differentiate itself and deliver benefits to its members, says the writer.

Asean centrality is more than its summit guest list