Understanding Southeast Asia

The implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015/2016 will have drastic impacts on the socio-economic development and democratization of the ten member countries. This dossier and the lecture series seek to explain current political developments, societal changes and economic trends in the region. Our next focus will be on gender politics.

"If you improve the situation of women, everyone will benefit"

Thida Khus is the Executive Director of SILAKA, a Cambodian NGO that has been working since 1997 to increase the participation of women in Cambodia. Thida will be speaking at the Heinrich Böll Foundation about the situation of women in Southeast Asia.

Refugees and Maritime Movement in Southeast Asia 2015

Refugees in Southeast Asia live in legal limbo and are subject to harassment, arrest, and detention. Especially Rohingya refugees are in indefinite detention and have been forgotten by the international media.

By Julia Mayerhofer and Lilianne Fan

Migration in Southeast Asia

Burmese migrant working on a Thai boat, Samut Sakhon, Thailand

Labour Migration in the ASEAN Region

Migrant workers in the Asean Region live and work under inhumane conditions. To improve this situation policies, the migration industry and the accountability of employers must all get a lot more attention.

By Ashley William Gois

Movement of People in the ASEAN Region: Nomenclature and Concepts

In times of increased ASEAN economic integration the official rhetoric around migration is one of free labour markets, opportunities and exchange. However, there are indications that ASEAN's migration management is in fact a "politics of return".

By Sverre Molland

ASEAN and the AEC

More articles and publications about Asia

Myanmar: Uncertain Future for Elections Amidst Growing Tension

Analyse

On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military conducted a military coup, tarnishing the nation's history with its notorious record of atrocities. Internationally infamous for its genocide of the Rohingya, the military has since then been striving to seize control of the state by resorting to arrests, torture, and killings of civilians.

By Kyaw Soe

Cambodia’s National Election 2023: Pressure, Control and Legacy

Analysis

Preventing the opposition from meaningfully participating in this election has once again ensured the landslide victory for the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

By Sok Leang

Viele Menschen mit blauen T-Shirts und blauen Cappys auf Motorrollern

Cambodia’s election landscape: minnows and a giant squid

Background

Ahead of Cambodia’s national election on July 23, the disqualification of the most popular opposition group leaves the ruling Cambodian People’s Party facing close to no competition on the ballot.

By Shaun Turton

A half-hearted effort: The G20’s Finance Track

Analysis

The G20 Presidency rotation among middle income countries is expected to give a voice to poor nations. The Finance Track aims to address debt crises and climate finance gaps, but obstacles from developed nations have led India's Presidency to focus on softer options.

By C.P. Chandrasekhar

Proposed EU-India FTA

Analysis

Negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and India have restarted in July 2022. India, in particular, has recently increased the scale of its engagement in FTAs with several developed countries and has responded to EU’s multiple calls to rekindle the moribund FTA after a hiatus of nearly nine years.

By Ranja Sengupta

Authoritarian elections in contemporary Southeast Asia

Study

This policy paper investigates the trend towards authoritarian elections in mainland Southeast Asia – in Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar – with a focus on the right to political participation.

pdf

Through a different lens

E-Paper

Activists and amateur women filmmakers have played a pivotal role in capturing the realities of life under the Taliban rule. They have utilised social media platforms such as YouTube and Twitter to obtain an unfiltered perspective of Afghanistan. This E-Paper explores the insights that can be gained from these films in our efforts to understand the current crisis that women in Afghanistan face.

pdf

Legacies of conflict

E-Paper

Seventeen months after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, little has been done to address local level grievances and disputes that have fuelled decades of conflict. This report, based on field research conducted from October 2021 to March 2022 in Helmand province, strongly argues that these grievances risk erupting into renewed violence and further destabilising the country.

pdf

Understanding Southeast Asia

"If you improve the situation of women, everyone will benefit"

Refugees and Maritime Movement in Southeast Asia 2015

Labour Migration in the ASEAN Region

Movement of People in the ASEAN Region: Nomenclature and Concepts

Southeast Asia: Regionalism of the Commons

ASEAN Economic Integration and Sustainable Urbanisation

Environmental Protection in the Post-2015 ASEAN Economic Community

The Political Economy of the ASEAN Regionalisation Process

Myanmar: Uncertain Future for Elections Amidst Growing Tension

Cambodia’s National Election 2023: Pressure, Control and Legacy

Cambodia’s election landscape: minnows and a giant squid

A half-hearted effort: The G20’s Finance Track

Proposed EU-India FTA

Authoritarian elections in contemporary Southeast Asia

Through a different lens

Legacies of conflict