
Part II of this series situates ASEAN within an increasingly fragmented global environment in which engagement with major external partners is becoming more conditional, differentiated, and strategically consequential. The era of largely frictionless integration is giving way to one defined by tariffs, regulatory standards, supply-chain recalibration, and selective security expectations. As global powers recalibrate their…

Part II of this series situates ASEAN within an increasingly fragmented global environment in which engagement with major external partners is becoming more conditional, differentiated, and strategically consequential. The era of largely frictionless integration is giving way to one defined by tariffs, regulatory standards, supply-chain recalibration, and selective security expectations. As global powers recalibrate their…

Part II of this series situates ASEAN within an increasingly fragmented global environment in which engagement with major external partners is becoming more conditional, differentiated, and strategically consequential. The era of largely frictionless integration is giving way to one defined by tariffs, regulatory standards, supply-chain recalibration, and selective security expectations. As global powers recalibrate their…

ASEAN enters 2026 facing a more demanding regional and global environment. External pressure from intensifying major power competition is coinciding with persistent internal frictions that test ASEAN cohesion and policy bandwidth. The ten developments below offer a quick snapshot of the issues most likely to shape the regional agenda over the year ahead The full…

Key Takeaways Bangkok, Thailand – Decemeber 2025 – the Southeast Asia Public Policy Institute (SEAPPI) hosted a webinar titled “Proof of Human: Digital Trust and Scam Resilience in APAC.” The session opened with remarks from SEAPPI’s Executive Director, Ed Ratcliffe, who presented the Institute’s new report, “Proof of Human: Building a Human Network for Digital Trust…