In this episode of Southeast Asia Radio, produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Gregory B. Poling and Elina Noor are joined by Ken Mathis Lohatepanont to discuss the latest updates from Thailand, including the new Bhumjaithai-led government, the fate of the Shinawatras, and the snap elections scheduled in early 2026.

In an article for the Torino World Affairs Institute’s Indo-Pacific Outlooks, Pongphisoot Paul Busbarat and Thanawit Wangpuchakane argue that the EU can play an indispensable role in reinforcing the agency of Indo-Pacific secondary powers, such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, and ASEAN.  Through a series of cooperative, inclusive, multilateral frameworks, the EU can help maintain the liberal order, stabilizing the region at a time of a growing leadership vacuum in the Indo-Pacific.

In an article for East Asia Forum, Gerhard Hoffstaedter discusses China's rising influence over area studies, particularly in Southeast Asia. What was once an area dominated by Western scholars has shifted, in light of funding cuts and shifting government priorities by the US, UK, EU, and Australia. The shift towards Chinese advancements in this area constitutes a fundamental rebalancing of global knowledge production with profound geopolitical implications.

In an article for the Journal of Historical Geography, Christian C. Lentz revisits mid-20th century Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, examining journalist, scholar-activist, and theorist Oey Hong Lee's book, Asia Won in Dien Bien Phu (1961). The article puts Asia Won in dialog with ideas of worldmaking, space-time, and eventful temporality to argue for an eventful geography of decolonization.

Jonathan Lam's essay published in the Southeast Asia Digital Library examines the lasting legacy of the Vietnam War and the US Secret War in Southeast Asia, particularly the extensive bombing campaigns in Laos and Cambodia. The essay explores the devastation caused by US military intervention, the refugee and deportation crisis since the fall of Saigon, and how connections to these historical patterns of US imperialism continue to shape the lives of Southeast Asian diaspora communities today.

In an article by East Asia Forum, Mari Pangestu and Julia Tijaja discuss the need for ASEAN to strengthen regional resilience in light of geopolitical tensions and the negative effects of US tariffs on the region's economy. By deepening regional integration, fully implementing RCEP, coordinating and addressing reforms and priorities, ASEAN may turn these issues into an opportunity for growth and leadership.

Ready to take your leadership journey to the next level?

Applications are now open for the 2026 Asia Foundation Development Fellows! Join a unique fellowship program for future leaders across Asia-Pacific who are driving change in their communities.

Here's what you'll gain:
✅ Study tours in Korea and the United States
✅ Executive coaching and mentoring
✅ Professional development award

Don't miss your chance to become a global changemaker!

🗓️ Applications close on November 10, 2025

Call for Applications: Youth Rising Creative Workshop for Academic Freedom 2025

The call for application for Youth Rising Creative Workshop 2025 - Southeast Asian Youth for Academic Freedom is now open.

Youth Rising is envisioned as a nexus of academic freedom and artistic freedom among young people — a creative workshop that brings together students, young scholars, and artists to explore how imagination and critical inquiry can confront repression and inspire collective action in academic spaces and in solidarity with academic communities and other stakeholders.

Through participatory dialogue, art-making, storytelling and content creation, the workshop seeks to reclaim campuses and classrooms as spaces of freedom, while amplifying youth voices in the broader struggle for rights, democracy, and social justice in Southeast Asia.

The camp program aims to support this ecosystem by empowering youth to participate in cross-cutting conversations and alliances for academic freedom — a form of engaged scholarship.

FULLY-FUNDED OPPORTUNITY

15 selected youth participants, aged 15-35 years old from across Southeast Asia

October 31 - November 1, 2025

Mahidol University, Salaya Campus, Thailand (about 25 km from central Bangkok)

Deadline of Application - September 26, 2025