The CSIS Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies hosted General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong for a major speech on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 as part of the Banyan Tree Leadership Forum. The theme for the general…
The 28th Summer Universiade took place in Gwangju, South Korea, from July 3 – July 14, 2015. This is the first time South Korea has hosted the event since 2003, when it had a record number of 174 participating countries…
By Zachary Abuza The Vietnamese Communist Party is finalizing personnel decisions ahead of its 12th congress, scheduled for the first quarter of 2016. The once-every-five-year party congress helps assure both continuity and a regular turnover of the top leadership. More…
Who is he? Kundapur Vaman (K.V.) Kamath is the newly appointed chief of the Shanghai-based New Development Bank (NDB), more commonly referred to as the BRICS Bank. Previously he was CEO of ICICI Bank, India’s largest private sector bank, for…
By Desmond Walton The United States and Thailand enjoy deep and mutually beneficial security cooperation that has endured over six decades and has contributed significantly to peace and stability in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, that relationship has been periodically disrupted by…
By Phuong Nguyen Myanmar’s union parliament on June 25 voted to reject five of six major amendments to the 2008, military-drafted constitution, in a decision that has critical implications for Myanmar’s political landscape and puts U.S. policymakers in a delicate…
50 The Articles of Agreement for establishing the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) were signed on June 29 by 50 member states, including countries from within Asia such as South Korea, India, and Australia, and countries outside the region…
By Gregory Poling Ongoing troubles in the West Papua region, and the unwanted attention they have garnered, are a sore spot for Indonesian authorities. They undermine the larger narrative of an Indonesia finally at peace with itself, consolidating its democracy…
By Ernest Z. Bower & Phuong Nguyen The general-secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong on July 7 will meet with President Barack Obama as the two leaders strive to establish strategic trust, the requisite foundation for the…
By Gregory Poling Chinese authorities, as well as sympathetic writers, have in recent months sought to deflect criticism of China’s island-building campaign in the Spratlys by insisting that Beijing is merely copying what other claimants have done for years. According…
By Ben Schaare Angry protests outside of Nauru’s Parliament building on June 16 over alleged government corruption are evidence of Nauruans’ serious concerns about the government’s continued disregard for the rule of law. As its largest aid donors and Pacific…
By Rene P. Acosta Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on June 24 disclosed that the Philippines is in discussions with Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia on crafting a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which it hopes will eventually be signed with…
