About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges facing Southeast Asia amid great power competition and regional tensions.

Southeast Asia has always sat at the intersection of great power competition, but the pressures bearing down on the region today are testing its institutions, alliances and sense of common purpose like never before. Since the United States went to war with Iran and blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, soaring fuel and fertiliser costs have pushed several Southeast Asian nations into a state of emergency. Border tensions, the ongoing civil war in Myanmar, and an increasingly fierce rivalry between Washington and Beijing are all straining the region's capacity to hold together. In this episode, Lowy Institute Southeast Asia Program Director Hunter Marston speaks with two of the region's leading analysts — Dr Lina Alexandra from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta and Dr Ja-Ian Chong from the National University of Singapore — about what Southeast Asia needs to do to maintain its relevance, its unity, and its peace. More episodes of the Lowy Institute's podcasts are available on your favourite podcast apps, including  Spotify ,  YouTube  and  Apple . Follow the Lowy Institute on our  website ,  X ,  Instagram…

People in this episode

Host: Hunter Marston

Guests: Dr Lina Alexandra, Dr Ja-Ian Chong

Topics covered

• Southeast Asia
• great power competition
• ASEAN
• regional stability
• international relations
• civil conflict
• economic challenges

Keywords

• Southeast Asia
• ASEAN
• great power competition
• Myanmar
• regional stability
• international relations
• economic crisis
• US-China rivalry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lowy Institute, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, National University of Singapore

Places: Jakarta, Southeast Asia, United States, Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Myanmar, Washington, Beijing

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