Join the Indonesia Project at Australian National University for a talk by Hilman Palaon, Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute’s Indo-Pacific Development Centre, and Robert Walker, economist and Research Associate at the Lowy Institute.  They will discuss Indonesia’s recent industrial policy successes in downstreaming critical minerals and EV manufacturing, while also addressing the environmental and social challenges, and exploring strategies for broader economic development and sustainability.

Join the Singapore APEC Study Centre at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a seminar by Eduardo Pedrosa, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat; Dr. Kaewkamol (Karen) Pitakdumrongkit, Interim Secretary General of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council’s (PECC) International Secretariat; and Stephen Olson, Visiting Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. This panel will examine APEC 2025 conference priorities and the PECC State of the Region Report 2024 - 2025 while addressing challenges such as supply chain disruptions, AI’s impact, geopolitical tensions, climate change, and the implications of Trump’s tariff policies on APEC economies.

Join the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at George Washington University for a talk by Dr. Quingfei Yin, Assistant Professor of International History at the London School of Economics, who will discuss how China and Vietnam collaborate and compete along their shared border.

Join the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University for a talk by Dr. Kristian Saguin, Associate Professor of Geography at the University of the Philippines Diliman, who will discuss urbanization and resource flows in Metro Manila.

Join the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a webinar featuring Matthew P. Goodman, distinguished fellow and director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies at CFR; Dr. Inu Manak, CFR Fellow for Trade Policy; Stephen Olson, Visiting Senior Fellow for the Regional Economic Studies Programme at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute; Deborah Elms, Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore; Henry Gao, Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University; and Dr. Jayant Menon, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. This panel will analyze current US trade policy and economic engagement in Southeast Asia.

Join SUNY/CUNY SEAC and the Southeast Asia Program at Stanford University for a webinar featuring Scot Marciel, Alice Ba, Kyaw Htet Aung, and Su Mon Thazin Aung. Moderated by Meredith Weiss, this panel discussion will discuss the context behind USAID and US foreign aid in Myanmar along with the nature and implications of the abrupt change in US policy.

Join the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) for a panel discussion featuring Iman Pambagyo, former Chief Trade Negotiator for Indonesia; Jayant Menon, Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute; Yasuyuki Todo, Professor of Economics at Waseda University; Wendy Cutler, ASPI Vice President. These experts from the Indo-Pacific and the U.S. will explore the impact of U.S. friendshoring policy, discussing its challenges, lessons learned, and how it can be enhanced to strengthen supply chains and boost economic prosperity.

Join the Vietnam Studies Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a webinar featuring Vu Minh Khuong, Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Jaya Ratnam, Singapore’s Ambassador to Vietnam; and Tran Phuoc Anh, Vietnam’s Ambassador to Singapore. This panel will explore the evolution of Vietnam-Singapore relations, analyze the opportunities and challenges of their upcoming Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), and discuss strategies to strengthen and deepen bilateral ties for a more substantive and impactful future.

Join the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University for a talk by Pita Limjaroenrat, former leader of Thailand’s dissolved Move Forward Party, who will discuss Thailand’s political and economic landscape, social inequality, and democratic movements. The discussion will also explore Thailand’s evolving relationships with ASEAN, BRICS, and major global powers, as well as broader regional and global democratic challenges.

Join the Council on Southeast Asia Studies at Yale University for a talk by Pita Limjaroenrat, former leader of Thailand’s dissolved Move Forward Party, who will discuss Thailand’s political and economic landscape, social inequality, and democratic movements. The discussion will also explore Thailand’s evolving relationships with ASEAN, BRICS, and major global powers, as well as broader regional and global democratic challenges.

Join the Regional Economics Programme at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute for a talk by Archanun Kohpaiboon, Professor in the Faculty of Economics at Thammasat University, who will discuss the impact of the rise of electric vehicles on Thailand’s automotive industry. This lecture explores how the industry and government are responding to the shift from internal combustion engine vehicles to electronic vehicles, as well as potential gaps in current policies.

Join the Indonesia Studies Programme at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute for a talk by Maxwell Lane, Visiting Senior Fellow, who will examine the stagnation and challenges in Indonesia under the Prabowo government, focusing on the persistent under-industrialization of the economy, the dominance of New Order-era political and cultural structures, and the struggles of civil society and emerging political alternatives to drive meaningful reform.

Join the Indonesia Project at the Australian National University for a talk by Lili Yan Ing and Krisna Gupta, who will discuss the economics of Indonesia joining BRICS, an intergovernmental organization formed by Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

Join the Philippine Studies Programme at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute for a webinar featuring Cielo Magno, Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines’ School of Economics; Zy-za Nadine Suzara, independent public budget analyst; and Jan Carlo Punongbayan, ISEAS Visiting Fellow and Assistant Professor at the University of the Philippines School of Economics. This panel will explore issues surrounding the crafting of the recent national budgets of the Philippine government.

Join the Myanmar Studies Programme at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute for a panel on what 2025 may hold for Myanmar in terms of governance and control, prospects and challenges for the economy, continuing humanitarian challenges, the State Administration Council regime’s election plans, and the various capabilities, preparedness and responses of Myanmar’s resistance actors.

Join the Council on Southeast Asia Studies at Yale University for a talk by Paul K. Gellert, Visiting Research Scholar at CUNY Graduate Center and Professor of Sociology at the University of Tennessee, who will discuss the ecologically unequal exchange of palm oil and dairy products in Indonesia and New Zealand.

Join the Vietnam Studies Programme at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute for a webinar by Tuan Ho, Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance at the University of Bristol Business School, and Long Tran, Head of Research at BIDV Securities (BSC), one of Vietnam’s oldest and most prominent securities firms. This webinar will analyze Vietnam’s economic performance in 2024 and assess its potential for 2025.

In a book talk hosted by NYSEAN and sponsored by NYU Wagner, editors Nhu Truong and Tuong Vu will discuss the economic and political dynamics and challenges of Vietnam laid out in their new book.  

Hosted by the LSE Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Center, Hun Kim, University of California Irvine, and Hyun Bang Shin, LSE, will examine how municipal authorities altered planning maps and manipulated property archives to change the landscape of de facto ownership in an evolving Saigon.

Hosted by the CSIS Southeast Asia Program, Mari Pangestu, former Indonesian Minister of Trade, will provide her perspective on economic headwinds facing the region, including the climate crisis and food and energy security.

Sponsored by the Harvard University Asia Center and the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Tom Lembong, Indonesia’s Trade and Investment Minister, will discuss Indonesia’s growing importance in the global economy.

Hosted by the Institute of Fine Arts Contemporary Asia, a panel of curators and artists will discuss the current Museum of Modern Art Exhibit, Signals: How Video Transformed the World, and how artists harnessed video as an agent of social change in Asia.

Hosted by Weatherhead East Asian Institute and sponsored by NYSEAN, Hayeon Lee, Columbia University, will discuss her three years of ethnographic field work studying Vietnamese migrant women marriages in South Korea.

Organized by USINDO and the Stimson Center Southeast Asia Forum, Bambang Susantono, Chairman of the Nusantara National Capital Authority, Kathleen Bartram, International Development Group, and Deden Rukmana, Alabama A&M University, will discuss Indonesia’s plan to build a new capital city.

Hosted by the Stimson Center, Robert Godec, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, Rithiny Teng, Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia, Sinsamout Ounboundisane, Fishbio, and Vu Dung, Keep Vietnam Clean, will share takeaways and policy recommendations from the Mekong-U.S. Partnership 5th Policy Dialogue.

Hosted by ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Peter Andreas Gotsch, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Alejandro N. Ciencia, University of the Philippines Baguio, Nila Kamil, Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Michiyo Kakegawa, Soka University, and Sharon Seah, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, will discuss climate risks and vulnerabilities in Southeast Asian cities.

Sopheak Chhan, Royal University of Phnom Penh, will consider how the impacts of hydropower dams across the Mekong River have intensified long-term land and resource struggles in Cambodia. This event is sponsored by the UHM Center for Southeast Asian Studies and the East-West Center.

Mie Oba, Kanagawa University, Nobuhiro Hemmi, Monitor Deloitte Institute Japan, and Christina L. Davis, Harvard University, will discuss Japanese business ventures in Southeast Asia. This event is sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and the Harvard University Asia Center.