Dialogues at Fulcrum

Fulcrum editor Julia Lau discusses the latest dramatic political events and the new government in Thailand with Acting Coordinator of ISEAS' Thailand Studies Programme, Dr Napon Jatusripitak. 1:11 –  How did the Srettha Thavisin administration come to an end? 4:28 –  Judicial overreach in Srettha's dismissal 9:50 –  The weaknesses of democratic institutions 12:45 –  Dissolution of Move Forward Party and its implications 19:55 –  Paetongtarn Shinawatra's rise to premiership 26:16 –  Prospects for Paetongtarn's administration and Pheu Thai 29:43 –  Putting Thailand back in international politics? 31:30 –  "Digital Wallet" scheme 36:30 –  The new Cabinet 40:52 –  Family ties in the Cabinet 50:45 –  Dr Jatusripitak's research journey Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

William Choong, Fulcrum’s Managing Editor and ISEAS Senior Fellow, discusses the recent leadership changes in Vietnam with Dr Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at ISEAS’ Vietnam Studies Programme (VSP), and Dr Le Hong Hiep, the coordinator of the VSP. 1:39 – Drivers of Vietnam’s leadership changes 3:55 – Vietnam’s political future under General Secretary To Lam 10:28 – The durability of Vietnam’s anti-corruption drive 14:42 – Perceptions of To Lam’s public security background 18:50 – Changes in Vietnam’s economic direction 24:50 – The future of Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy” 28:20 – Vietnam’s future relations with Russia 30:25 – The future of the Vietnam-US relationship Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

William Choong, Fulcrum's Managing Editor and ISEAS Senior Fellow, discusses the recent Japan-Philippines reciprocal access agreement with Dr Aries Arugay, the coordinator of the institute’s Philippine Studies Programme, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. 1:30 – An overview of ISEAS’ Philippine Studies Programme⁠ 7:12 – The significance of the Japan-Philippines reciprocal access agreement (RAA) 14:10 – How the RAA will help in Manila’s contest of wills with Beijing 22:51 – Will recent China-Philippines bilateral consultation mechanisms soothe tensions? 31:25 – Will the conclusion of Conduct of Conduct negotiations on the South China Sea resolve the tensions there? 37:53 – How bigger trends such as Sino-US rivalry and a new US administration come 2025 affect Manila’s position Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

William Choong, Fulcrum's Managing Editor, and Irene Ng, an author and ISEAS writer-in-residence, dive into the life of S. Rajaratnam through his authorized biography. They explore the inspiring themes that emerged during the writing process, including the challenges of portraying a historical figure's life. The discussion also navigates Singapore's diplomatic journey, highlighting Rajaratnam's strategies in dealing with ASEAN and superpowers like China and the U.S. Ultimately, they emphasize his quest for ideals and the lessons young Singaporeans can learn from his legacy.

Fulcrum editor Lee Hwok Aun and ISEAS Malaysia Studies Programme Coordinator Francis Hutchinson discuss Malaysia's long reform journey and the hits and misses of Anwar Ibrahim's administration, with Meredith Weiss, ISEAS Visiting Senior Fellow and Professor of Political Science at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. For quick reference, the themes below were discussed: 2:14 – About Prof Weiss: beginnings of interest in Malaysia and Southeast Asia 5:12 – Important milestones in Malaysia’s reform journey 10:24 – Role of political leadership 15:10 – Most feasible and high-impact reforms for the Anwar administration 21:54 – Policy messaging and broad-based reforms 28:00 – Reform failures and missed opportunities 30:30 – Is Malaysian democracy maturing? 32:42 – What has civil society contributed and learned? 37:11 – Pakatan’s lack of sustained reforms compared to other countries 42:28 – Grading Malaysia’s reform achievement

Fulcrum editor Julia Lau discusses the recent Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) and the significance of two decades of the SLD with IISS Executive Director, Veerle Nouwens. Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. For quick reference, the themes below were discussed: 0:55 – More about Veerle Nouwens 3:20 – Are the US and China engaging in "duelling narratives"? 11:11 – SLD's impact on US-China dialogue 16:22 – Has China won over the region? 23:03 – Is dialogue sufficient to resolve tensions over the South China Sea? 28:00 – Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's appearance at SLD and upcoming peace summit in Switzerland 35:02 – Other themes arising from SLD 21 37:27 – Veerle's advice to aspiring thinktankers

Fulcrum editor and Co-Coordinator of Indonesia Studies Programme Julia Lau discusses the United States' role and policies in Southeast Asia with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Melissa Brown, the day after her public address at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute on 13 March 2024. Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. For quick reference, the themes below were discussed: 1:23 – Sino-U.S. relations 3:20 – U.S.-ASEAN cooperation 4:33 – U.S.-Singapore relations 6:04 – Regional architecture and ‘minilaterals’ 10:15 – U.S. presence in the region amidst a more uncertain world 16:30 – Southeast Asia’s reaction to U.S. policy on Palestine after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel 22:37 – The U.S.’ economic engagement in the region  33:12 – DAS Brown reflects on her career and experiences as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service 

Fulcrum editor Julia Lau sits down with Dr Udan Fernando, former Executive Director (2012-2020) of the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA), a Sri Lankan think tank. Based in Singapore and working as a consultant with the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), Dr Fernando is currently working on a project to develop under-represented scholars in the humanities and social sciences in Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Timor-Leste and Thailand. The topic of their discussion is his recent documentary, “Not So Greener Pastures”, on four individuals who migrated to Timor-Leste and related issues, including Timor-Leste’s expected accession to ASEAN.  Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. For quick reference, the themes below were discussed: 2:40 – How Dr Fernando combines academia with his documentary filmmaking 5:20 – How the idea for the documentary came about 9:45 – How the protagonists in Dr Fernando’s documentary migrated to Timor-Leste  21:40 – What the film says to global and regional audiences 27:20 – Recalling Timor’s “transition” from UN control and early development as an independent entity, including the role of Singapore in helping to set up the Timorese police force 33:54 – How Dr Fernando sees the issue of Timor Leste’s accession to ASEAN

In this episode, Dr William Choong, Managing Editor of Fulcrum, and Dr Jayant Menon, Senior Fellow at ISEAS, talk to Prof Sophal Ear, Associate Professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, about the political transition in Cambodia. Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute. For quick reference, the themes below were discussed: 2:34 – Reflections on the historic political transition from long-serving Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen to his son, Hun Manet 9:55 – Will fairly widespread instances of dynastic succession in Cambodia constitute a concern? 15:46 – Will Cambodia become a more inclusive society under Hun Manet? 23:57 – The direction of Cambodia-China relations going forward 31:30 – Cambodia’s astute handling of its role as ASEAN Chair in 2022 35:40 – Will there be changes in Cambodia’s economic policy? 49:38 – The implications of the Ream naval base Prof Ear lectures on global political economy, international organisations, and regional management in Asia. He wrote and narrated the award-winning documentary film "The End/ Beginning: Cambodia" based on his 2009 TED Talk and has appeared in five other documentaries. A graduate of Princeton and Berkeley, he moved to the U.S. from France as a Cambodian refugee at the age of 10.

In this dialogue, which follows on his May 16th podcast, “Defining Tests for UMNO, Anwar and the Unity Government”, Khairy Jamaluddin discusses the main arena of those defining tests: the August 12th Peninsular state elections (PRN2023). Khairy speaks with Fulcrum editor Dr Lee Hwok Aun and Dr Francis Hutchinson, both Senior Fellows at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, about the outcomes and implications of PRN2023. The Perikatan Nasional coalition dominated in the three Northern Malay states, while the PH-BN Unity coalition of coalitions retained the three more ethnically mixed states on the west coast– with significant ground ceded to PN. The dialogue considers the continuities and changes we can expect in Malaysian federal and state politics. Khairy is a Visiting Senior Fellow at ISEAS, and was a three-time member of Malaysia’s parliament representing Rembau. He has served as Minister of Youth and Sports; Science, Technology and Innovation; and Health. 2:15 – Ground-level observations of PN (Bersatu) and PH-BN (UMNO) campaigns 8:24 – Election results: any effect on Khairy joining/rejoining either party? 9:52 – Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s strategic options to win Malay support 15:18 – What do Perikatan Nasional’s sweeping wins in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu say about Malay politics and the PAS-Bersatu alliance? 19:19 – Generational change in PAS: The roles of Sanusi Md Nor in Kedah and Samsuri Mokhtar in Terengganu going forward 23:23 – PH-BN leaders and Menteris Besar: Who made a mark on PRN2023? 26:02 – How well did PH-BN collaborate in PRN2023 and what lessons should the Unity government take moving forward? 28:39 – Is the PN surge still an anti-UMNO protest or has PN secured a base? 32:13 – What next for UMNO? Is Zahid Hamidi’s discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) a boon or bane? 35:12 – Anwar Ibrahim administration: Political implications of PRN2023 and signature policies