In an article for Lighthouse Reports, researchers investigate a vast archive of data on the deep web, from a surveillance company called First Wap. Investigation shows how phone network collections can be leveraged to allow tracking all over the world, without authorization from the targeted networks.

In a paper for SSRN (the Social Science Research Network), NYSEAN Member Haakon Huynh analyzes the political economy of AI infrastructure in Vietnam, focusing on how the Vietnamese state regulates data centers and cloud services while increasing reliance on foreign capital and expertise.

In an article for Asia Sentinel, Toh Han Shih discusses a US Department of Justice case involving an online scam allegedly operated by a Cambodian conglomerate, Prince Holding Group, and its founding chairman, Vincent Chen Zhi. The case constitutes a growing recognition of the nature of the cybercrime threat from Cambodia, which costs Americans up to $10 billion annually and produces hundreds of thousands of human trafficking victims  across the world, particularly in the US, China, and the EU.

In an article for BusinessMirror, Troi Santos highlights Noel Pangilinan, an educator, journalist, and member of the Fil-Am Press Club of New York, who recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his long service to education, journalism, and the promotion of Filipino heritage in the United States.

Haakon Huynh (Columbia University) is seeking collaborators for ongoing research on artificial intelligence (AI) governance in Southeast Asia. His recent working paper, “Digital Sovereignty or Dependency? The Political Economy of AI Infrastructure in Vietnam,” examines how Vietnam governs AI infrastructure amid growing foreign investment from firms like NVIDIA.

Haakon welcomes contact from scholars, practitioners, and students interested in AI policy, digital infrastructure, or the political economy of technology in the region.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom and Benjamin Tausig discuss how music features in their new books and how they engage with songs in their various writings. Dr. Wasserstrom discusses the Milk Tea Alliance, a coalition that brought together activists from Thailand, Myanmar, and Hong Kong. Dr. Tausig introduces his latest book, Bangkok After Dark, which places nightlife in Thailand's capital city during the Cold War into a transnational perspective via discussion of jazz pianist Maurice Rocco. Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal offers his remarks on both presentations as well as his own experiences with music and community organizing. The videos and musicians mentioned during the discussion can be found in this YouTube playlist.

In this paper published by NYSEAN Partner ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Angel Hsu and Silvia Landa discuss how the US government has withdrawn both domestically and globally from climate and clean energy engagement. This withdrawal has been marked by a dismantling of foreign development assistance, proposed rollbacks of the Inflation Reduction Act, and aggressive tariffs. They assert that these policy shifts undermine the possibility of bilateral clean energy and climate collaboration with Southeast Asian nations.

Senator Loren Legarda, a four-term senator and passionate environmentalist, has spent much of her years in the Senate authoring landmark laws for environmental protection. Speaking on how bold governance can unlock the Philippines’ vast potential for building a sustainable future, she touches on her role in enacting conservation measures in the country. She also elaborates on upcoming measures to safeguard the country’s oceans and coastal livelihoods, protect biodiversity, and facilitate compliance markets in the 20th Congress.

In this episode of Gatty Lecture Rewind, the hosts join Dr. Rachel Leow, Associate Professor of Modern East Asian History at the University of Cambridge, for a lively conversation that dives into the tangled, shimmering histories of migration, language, and ideas across Asia’s maritime world.

In this episode of the New Books in Critical Theory, Vincent Pak discusses his new book, Queer Correctives: Discursive Neo-homophobia, Sexuality and Christianity in Singapore (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025), which explores Christian discourses of sex and sexuality in Singapore to argue that metanoia, the theological concept of spiritual transformation, can be read as a form of neo-homophobia that coaxes change in the queer individual.

In this episode of Talking Indonesia, the host is joined by Grace Leksana, an Assistant Professor in Indonesian history in the Cultural History section of Utrecht University. Together, they discuss the origins and concerns of the Minister for Culture and Education’s commission to rewrite the official Indonesian history textbook.

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.

In an article for Cambodianess, Him Rotha and Sreng Hengsal discuss what Anutin Charnvirakul's rise as Thailand's PM means for relations with Cambodia. Despite Anutin's willingness to resolve the dispute with Cambodia through "peaceful means" several constraints remain, such as Anutin's administration only lasting four months, and the prevalence of military influence in Thailand.