Southeast Asia Archive

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series about China’s One Belt, One Road infrastructure initiative, also known as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Relations between China and Myanmar have been deeply affected by Myanmar’s ongoing political evolution, though China nevertheless sees Myanmar as a key player in its One Belt, One Road initiative. In an email interview, Yun Sun, senior associate with the East Asia Program at the Stimson Center, traces how bilateral ties have changed in recent years and how One Belt, One Road could potentially serve leaders […]

Last month, former resistance fighter Francisco Guterres won an election to become East Timor’s next president. The vote was the third since factional fighting within the military triggered widespread violence in 2006, leading to a military intervention headed by Australia. In an email interview, Damien Kingsbury, professor of international politics at Deakin University in Australia, discusses how the vote unfolded and what the results mean for legislative elections planned for July. WPR: How did the substance of this campaign compare to past campaigns, and what does that say about how the country is evolving more than a decade after the […]