CSIS Southeast Asia SIT-REP

The SIT-REP gives you links to all of CSIS Southeast Asia’s (@SoutheastAsiaDC) best updates and programs in a five minute read. This issue includes a congressional testimony on democratic transitions in Southeast Asia, analysis of the prospect of joint Sino-Vietnamese development in the South China Sea, the threats posed by the Islamic State to Indonesia and Malaysia, and much more. Links will take you to the full publications, multimedia, or to registration for upcoming programs when available. To jump to a section, select one of the following:

• Research on democratic transitions in Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam
• Commentaries on COP21, covering the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Thailand
• CogitAsia articles covering the South China Sea, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia
• The Leaderboard profiles from Myanmar
• CogitAsia Podcast discussing China
• Recent Programs on Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar
• Upcoming Programs on India-Southeast Asia relations

Research

The core of CSIS Southeast Asia’s work is our research. Go deep for insight and inspiration

“Congressional Testimony: Democratic Transitions in Southeast Asia,” by Murray Hiebert (@MurrayHiebert1)
It is of critical importance that the United States makes its views on democracy and human rights known to governments in Southeast Asia. But there are few, if any, examples where pressure and sanctions have had the desired effect of pushing a regime to reform, unless it has begun moving in that direction due to internal pressures. Generally, the United States has the most impact as a champion of democracy in the region when it leads by example rather than by carrying a stick… Read more >>

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Commentaries

Deep insight into developments that move the dial

“Southeast Asian Nations Watch Paris for Deal to Cut Greenhouse Gases,” by Murray Hiebert (@MurrayHiebert1)
Much of the focus at the Paris climate summit that began on November 30 will be on the delegations from the United States, China, and India, and the pledges of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters to limit emissions, protect forests, and launch rigorous renewable energy projects. Countries in Southeast Asia, several of which are among the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change, are watching closely to see if the nearly 200 participating countries put forward action plans robust enough… Read more >>

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CogitAsia

The CSIS Asia blog features insights on policy around the Asia Pacific

“Joint Development Areas: A Way Forward for Sino-Vietnamese Maritime Cooperation?,” by Matthew McGee
China has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its maritime claims in recent years, particularly in the South China Sea. Although Beijing has conducted negotiations with many of its neighbors in an attempt to decrease tensions, it has signed only one treaty delimiting maritime borders: the December 2000 agreement demarcating the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf between China and Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin. Sino-Vietnamese cooperation has progressed in the gulf, but overall relations have deteriorated due to tensions in the South China Sea… Read more >>

“Reform Cold, Politics Hot: President Xi Jinping at Mid-Term,” by Christopher K. Johnson
Around the turn of this century, analysts of Sino-Japanese relations began characterizing the relationship between East Asia’s two biggest powers with the simple shorthand “politics cold, economics hot” to explain the awkward circumstances in which issues related to Japan’s wartime history strained the two countries’ political ties while substantial Japanese investment in China’s booming economy… Read more >>

“Geopolitical Consequences of China’s Slowdown,” by Bonnie Glaser & Matthew Funaiole
ADespite being widely recognized as the most powerful emerging country in the world, China’s international position rests upon an untested foundation. Unlike other leading countries, whose national strength emanates from the confluence of military, economic, social, and geopolitical vectors, Chinese power is inexorably tied to the expansion of the Chinese economy. Breakneck economic growth has greatly elevated China’s regional standing, but Beijing’s goal of becoming a regional leader — which may eventually extend to displacing American preeminence in the Asia-Pacific — has yet to be achieved… Read more >>

“No Time for Complacency on ISIS Threats in Southeast Asia,” by Zachary Abuza
The November 13 coordinated attacks in Paris by followers of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which led to the death of 129 people, have revived fears of the movement’s spread to Southeast Asia, especially among the political leadership in Indonesia and Malaysia. ISIS is a threat to the region, but a manageable one. While regional governments cannot afford to be complacent about ISIS, fear-mongering can also be counter-productive. There are roughly 800-1,000 Southeast Asians who have traveled to Syria and Iraq, but not all are combatants… Read more >>

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The Leaderboard

Two-minute read on the real people that are making news

Thet Thet Khine, newly elected lawmaker representing the National League for Democracy and successful businesswoman
Dr. Thet Thet Khine is a National League for Democracy (NLD) parliamentarian-in-waiting from Dagon township in Yangon. She is one of the most successful businesswomen in Myanmar and owns a number of gold, jewelry, and gem production companies. She also serves as joint secretary general of the influential Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and vice president of the Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Association. She was trained as a medical doctor at the Institute of Medicine in Yangon, has received two MBAs from Yangon University and Nanyang Business School, and is currently a PhD candidate for Public Management and Leadership at Walden University… Read more >>

CogitAsia Podcast

An engaging mix of news, analysis, and predictions from around the region

CogitAsia Podcast: November 20, 2015
In this week’s featured discussion, we turn to China’s maritime strategy. CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies Christopher Johnson gives an overview of how President Xi Jinping has restructured and re-energized various components of the Chinese government and military to pursue its maritime aims at our Global Security Forum. Hosted by Colm Quinn…Listen >>

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Recent Programs

CSIS programs are designed to expose you to policymakers through open and honest dialogue

Emerging U.S. Security Partnerships in Southeast Asia, December 1
CSIS hosted a panel with regional experts who discussed three newly released studies assessing how three Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam – are developing closer security-related ties with the United States and balancing them against relations with China. Based on field research by some of the world’s leading experts on these three countries, the studies offer an up-to-date assessment of U.S. and Chinese engagement in the dynamic Southeast Asia region… Read more >>

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Upcoming Programs

CSIS programs are designed to expose you to policymakers through open and honest dialogue

India’s Security Interests in Southeast Asia, December 18
RAND senior political scientist Jonah Blank will discuss the key findings of his recent report on India’s emerging partnerships in Southeast Asia, “Look East, Cross Black Waters,” and the Center for American Progress’ Vice President for National Security and International Policy Vikram Singh will give his perspectives on the opportunities and challenges that India’s growing strategic interest in Southeast Asia will bring for the United States… Read more >>

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For more on the Chair for Southeast Asia Studies, check out our website, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, visit our blog CogitAsia, and listen to our podcast at CogitAsia and iTunes. Thank you for your interest in U.S. policy in Southeast Asia and CSIS Southeast Asia. Join the conversation!