Anchored by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Southeast Asia is one of the most dynamic and diverse regions in Asia. It includes Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Over the past 50 years, Southeast Asian nations have managed to overcome instability and conflict to build a successful multilateral forum that promotes regional cooperation and consensus-building among a highly distinct and internally diverse group of countries.
ASPI’s work on Southeast Asia focuses on policy dialogues and solution-oriented projects and recommendations reports, as well as sharing insights about and perspectives from the region through public events and expert commentary. ASPI conducts projects that aim to enhance the security, prosperity, and sustainability of the region, as well as advance Southeast Asia’s relations with the United States and the rest of the Asia-Pacific. For instance, ASPI’s U.S.-Myanmar Track II dialogue helped inform policymakers in both countries at a time that Myanmar’s government was inching toward reform and opening up to the international community.
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Commentary
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articleWendy Cutler's in The Diplomat on how Asia-Pacific policymakers can help rebuild support for trade by helping workers with forward-thinking labor programs.
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articleKevin Rudd explains how an expanded East Asia Summit could help secure peace in an increasingly fractious Asia-Pacific.
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interviewKevin Rudd discusses how U.S. trade policy is weakening an already fragmented global trade architecture.
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articleWendy Cutler on how Asia-Pacific countries have moved on after the U.S. withdrawal from TPP.
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speechASPI President Kevin Rudd's speech on strengthening regional institutions in Asia to manage peace and security.
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interviewWendy Cutler talks to NPR Weekend Edition about President Trump's "America first" speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam.
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articlePresident Trump skipping the East Asia Summit is a mistake, write Lindsey Ford and Vikram Singh.
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interviewDaniel Russel tells PBS Newshour that with Rohingya crisis, "the starting point may be outrage, but we can’t stop there."
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In the New York Times, Kevin Rudd explains the complex internal politics that have shaped Aung San Suu Kyi's response to the Rohingya crisis.
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articleKevin Rudd says the Asia-Pacific region badly needs a security forum that links all relevant players, to help prevent disagreements reaching a crisis point.