OUR EVENTS

Filtering by: “Politics”
The State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey Report
Apr
6

The State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey Report

Join the ASEAN Studies Center at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for the e-launch of The State of Southeast Asia: 2026 Survey Report on the prevailing attitudes of Southeast Asian opinion leaders on regional strategic developments and issues affecting ASEAN and its member states. Joanne Lin, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Center, will present the key findings of the survey. The following speakers will discuss the survey’s major findings: Scot Marciel, Senior Advisor of BowerGroupAsia; Dr. Saya Kiba, Associate Professor at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies; Dr. Huiyao Wang, Founder and President of the Center for China and Globalization, and Herman Kraft, Professor of Political Science at the University of the Philippines at Diliman.

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Challenges to Indonesia’s Party Cartel System
Apr
7

Challenges to Indonesia’s Party Cartel System

  • ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute – Seminar Room 2 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the Indonesia Studies Program at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a webinar on challenges to Indonesia’s political party cartel system, which aims to increase the role of negotiations within increasing coalitions. Speakers include Dr. Maxwell Lane, Visiting Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, and Professor Leo Suryadinata, Visiting Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and Professor (Adjunct) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.

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Brown Bag Roundtable: Gen-Z and Resisting Authoritarianism in Burma
Apr
9

Brown Bag Roundtable: Gen-Z and Resisting Authoritarianism in Burma

  • New York University – 19 University Place, Great Room (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join NYSEAN and the Program in International Relations at NYU for a brown bag roundtable on Gen-Z and resisting authoritarianism in Burma, hosted by Professor Frances O'Morchoe. Featured speakers include Morgane Dussud, PhD graduate of SOAS University of London with a professional background in human rights, and Kota Watanabe, Visiting Scholar at NYU Wagner studying civil wars and transnational organised crime in Southeast Asia.

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Toward Decolonizing Research on Digital Authoritarianism: Reflections from Studying Big Tech-mediated Politics in Southeast Asia
Apr
10

Toward Decolonizing Research on Digital Authoritarianism: Reflections from Studying Big Tech-mediated Politics in Southeast Asia

  • Northern Illinois University – Peters Campus Life Building, 100 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University for a talk by Dr. Mai Van Tran, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science. Dr. Tran will examine the extent to which pro-democracy platform advocacy might affect Big Tech’s practices and curb platform-mediated repression in Southeast Asia, with a focus on Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia.

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The 20th International Policy and Planning Summit
Apr
2

The 20th International Policy and Planning Summit

Join NYU Wagner’s International Policy and Planning Association (IPPA) for its 20th annual summit. This year’s summit will bring together students, academics, and practitioners to explore cross-sectoral solutions to the interconnected global challenges of climate change, migration, and global urban resilience. As cities worldwide confront more frequent flooding, rising heat, and expanding informal or peri-urban settlements, the need to rethink urban planning, infrastructure design, and climate-resilient financing models has never been more urgent.

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Socialist Meaning-Making Through Rice and the 1967 Rice Riots in Burma/Myanmar
Apr
1

Socialist Meaning-Making Through Rice and the 1967 Rice Riots in Burma/Myanmar

  • The London School of Economics – The Marshall Building, Room 2.06 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the  Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Center at the London School of Economics and Political Science for a talk by Dr. Tharaphi Than, Associate Professor of World Languages and Cultures at Northern Illinois University. Dr. Than will discuss how rice became central to socialist meaning-making, resistance, and the politics of survival in Burma.

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After the Election: What’s Next for Thailand?
Mar
31

After the Election: What’s Next for Thailand?

Join NYSEAN for a roundtable discussion exploring domestic and international pressures with Thailand’s leading politicians and academic researchers. Speakers include Kanokrat Lertchoosakul, Assistant Professor at the Department of Government, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University; Kunthida Rungruengkiat, MPP Candidate at Princeton University and former Deputy Leader of Thailand’s Future Forward Party, and Parit Wacharasindhu, Member of the Thai Parliament and Spokesperson of the People’s Party.

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[Rescheduled] Asia’s Aging Security: How Demographic Change Affects America's Allies and Adversaries
Mar
30

[Rescheduled] Asia’s Aging Security: How Demographic Change Affects America's Allies and Adversaries

  • Columbia School of International and Public Affairs – Room 918 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University for a book talk by Andrew L. Oros, Professor of Political Science and International Studies, Washington College, Maryland. Whereas the populations of China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Russia are aging and shrinking, the populations of India, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Australia continue to grow. Oros will discuss how striking demographic changes affect regional security dynamics and the United States–led alliance structure in the Indo-Pacific.

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The Aftermath of the Anti-Communist Purge on Demographic Transition in Indonesia
Mar
17

The Aftermath of the Anti-Communist Purge on Demographic Transition in Indonesia

  • Australian National University – McDonald Room, Menzies Library (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the Indonesia Project at Australian National University for a talk by Arif Anindita, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Business and Law at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. Dr. Anindita will discuss the impact of the 1965-66 anti-communist purge in Indonesia on Java's demographic transition.

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Authoritarianism and Intellectual Freedom: Lessons from Southeast Asia
Mar
13

Authoritarianism and Intellectual Freedom: Lessons from Southeast Asia

At the Association for Asian Studies Conference, join NYSEAN and SEACAF for a roundtable that will explore the relationship between authoritarianism and threats to academic and intellectual freedom in a way that puts attacks on higher education in the United States in conversation with Southeast Asia. The Roundtable includes the following scholars: Bencharat Sae Chua of the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University in Thailand; Herlambang Wiratraman of the Research Center of Law and Social Justice at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia; Sol Iglesias of the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Political Science Department in the Philippines, and Rianne Subijanto of Baruch College, City University of New York. Margaret Scott, a founder of NYSEAN and a journalist with the New York Review of Books, will chair.

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Beyond the Capital City: Rethinking Jakarta’s Urban Future
Mar
12

Beyond the Capital City: Rethinking Jakarta’s Urban Future

Join the Indonesia Studies Program at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a webinar examining how the relocation of Indonesia’s administrative capital to Nusantara is reshaping Jakarta’s governance, planning priorities, and everyday urban experience. Speakers include Dr. Irna Nurlina Masron, Fellow of the Regional Social and Cultural Studies and the Indonesia Studies Programs at ISEAS, and Dr. Siwage Dharma Negara, senior fellow, Co-Coordinator for the Indonesia Studies Program, and Coordinator for the Singapore APEC Study Center at ISEAS. Rita Padawangi, Associate Professor at the College of Interdisciplinary and Experiential Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences, will moderate the discussion.

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Becoming Ungovernable: Hill Peoples, Decentralized Resistance, and Buddhist Nationalism in Myanmar
Mar
4

Becoming Ungovernable: Hill Peoples, Decentralized Resistance, and Buddhist Nationalism in Myanmar

  • Columbia School of International and Public Affairs – Room 918 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University for a talk by Visiting Scholar, Dr. David Thang Moe. Drawing on firsthand experience, current research, and his forthcoming monograph Beyond Buddhist Nationalism (Oxford University Press), he will discuss ungovernability, centralized nationalism, decentralized resistance, ethnic reconciliation, and visions of democratic nationhood in Myanmar.

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After the Election: Thailand in a Changing Global Landscape
Feb
24

After the Election: Thailand in a Changing Global Landscape

Thailand’s post-election government faces rising economic pressure, domestic instability, and shifting geopolitics. Join experts in politics and security for a virtual roundtable on what this moment means for Thailand and Southeast Asia. Featured speakers include Kunthida Rungruengkiat, MPP Candidate at Princeton University and former Deputy Leader of Thailand’s Future Forward Party, offering perspectives on domestic political reform and democratic movements; Dr. Fuadi Pitsuwan, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University; and Matt Wheeler, Senior Analyst at International Crisis Group.

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Making Sense of the Myanmar and Thai Elections: Complicated Processes, Fraught Results
Feb
23

Making Sense of the Myanmar and Thai Elections: Complicated Processes, Fraught Results

Join the SUNY/CUNY Southeast Asia Consortium (SEAC) for a webinar debriefing the recent elections in Myanmar and Thailand. Speakers include Dr. Joel Sawat Selway, Associate Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University and co-founder and managing editor of ThaiDataPoints, and Dr. Kyaw Yin Hlaing, Chairman of the Myanmar Scholars Network and Visiting Senior Fellow in the Myanmar Studies Program at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. Meredith Weiss, Professor of Political Science at University at Albany–SUNY and Director of SUNY/CUNY SEAC, will moderate the discussion.

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Who Ought to Safeguard Buddhism? Politics of Buddhist Protection in Post-Coup Thailand
Feb
20

Who Ought to Safeguard Buddhism? Politics of Buddhist Protection in Post-Coup Thailand

  • Northern Illinois University – Peters Campus Life Building, Room 100 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University for a talk by Prakirati Satasut, Professor of Anthropology at Thammasat University and Visiting Scholar of Anthropology and Buddhism at Harvard-Yenching Institute. Through the context of Thailand’s 2014 coup, Dr. Satasut proposes the politics of Buddhist protection as a contested domain where religious discourse becomes a vehicle for political participation.

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Communication Against Capital: Red Enlightenment at the Dawn of Indonesia
Feb
17

Communication Against Capital: Red Enlightenment at the Dawn of Indonesia

Join the LSE Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asian Center for a talk by Rianne Subijanto, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Baruch College, City University of New York. Her book, Communication against Capital: Red Enlightenment at the Dawn of Indonesia, tells a story of the processes through which ordinary people mobilized an anticolonial communist resistance against Dutch rule through the production of revolutionary communication in the 1920s.

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Myanmar in 2026: “Elections,” Expectations, and Realities
Feb
12

Myanmar in 2026: “Elections,” Expectations, and Realities

Join the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a seminar assessing what to expect from the State Security and Peace Commission’s recent polls, which are viewed widely as being orchestrated to continue the military’s political dominance in Myanmar. Speakers include: Dr. Kyaw Yin Hlaing, Visiting Senior Fellow in the Myanmar Studies Program at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and a visiting scholar at Cornell University, and Dr. Mary P. Callahan is an associate professor in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.

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Thai General Election Breakfast Watch Party
Feb
8

Thai General Election Breakfast Watch Party

  • NYU Wagner – 2nd Floor, Rice Conference Room (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join NYSEAN for a live watch party of Thailand’s pivotal election, featuring a special discussion with Ms. Kunthida Rungruengkiat, former Deputy Leader of the Future Forward Party and current MPP candidate at Princeton University. Watch the vote count live, enjoy breakfast, and unpack what this election means for Thailand’s political future.

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The Results and Implications of Myanmar’s Elections
Feb
2

The Results and Implications of Myanmar’s Elections

Join the Stimson Center for a two-part webinar analyzing the junta-led elections in Myanmar and their implications for Myanmar’s political landscape and stakeholders as the military regime shapes itself. Speakers include: Min Zin, Executive Director of ISP-Myanmar; Morgan Michaels, Research Fellow for Southeast Asian Security and Defence at the International Institute for Strategic Studies; H.E. Moe Zaw Oo, Foreign Affairs Advisor, National Unity Government; Moe Thuzar, Senior Fellow and Myanmar Studies Program Coordinator at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute; Amara Thiha, Stimson Nonresident Fellow; Steve Ross, Stimson Senior Fellow; and Yun Sun, Senior Fellow of the Myanmar Project and Co-Director of the East Asia Program at Stimson.

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Thailand’s 2026 General Election and Referendum: What to Expect?
Feb
1

Thailand’s 2026 General Election and Referendum: What to Expect?

Join the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a webinar exploring the key issues shaping Thailand’s 2026 general election. Speakers include Mathis Lohatepanont, Political Science Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Michigan, and Thanisara Ruangdej (GG), the CEO and Co-founder of WeVis, a civic technology group advancing Thailand’s participatory democracy through open data.

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From Barefoot Lawyers to International Tribunals: Martial Law on Trial
Jan
29

From Barefoot Lawyers to International Tribunals: Martial Law on Trial

Join the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University for a talk by Mark Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Asian and Asian American Studies at Vanderbilt University, who will discuss how legal advocates fought to defend civil liberties during the martial law era in the Philippines (1972-1981).

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Southeast Asia Coalition for Academic Freedom (SEACAF) Orientation and General Assembly
Jan
24

Southeast Asia Coalition for Academic Freedom (SEACAF) Orientation and General Assembly

Join the Southeast Asia Coalition for Academic Freedom (SEACAF) for its orientation and general assembly. This is a key opportunity for members to shape priorities, engage in meaningful discussions, and contribute to the next phase of SEACAF’s work in 2026.

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Water in Myanmar: Linking Environmental Issues with Policy Solutions
Jan
23

Water in Myanmar: Linking Environmental Issues with Policy Solutions

  • University of Michigan-Ann Arbor – Weiser Hall, Room 110 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Michigan for a talk by geographer and visiting professor Saw Yu May, who will discuss water challenges in Myanmar, from pollution and overuse to climate and governance pressures. It links research-based on water issues and community livelihoods with national policy efforts, highlighting the gap between environmental needs and implementation of the 2015 National Water Policy.

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A USEFUL GHOST
Jan
16
to Feb 5

A USEFUL GHOST

Join IFC Center for film screenings of A Useful Ghost, directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke and starring Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, and Apasiri Nitibhon. In this pitch-perfect, wildly inventive film, a recently-deceased woman returns as a ghost possessing a vacuum cleaner in order to clean the house and protect her family from other vengeful spirits.

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Myanmar’s 2025 Elections: What’s at Stake?
Dec
14

Myanmar’s 2025 Elections: What’s at Stake?

Join the ISEAS Myanmar Studies Program for insights from researchers and observers examining the complex conflict dynamics affecting stakeholders and electors, the known knowns and the uncertainties in the economic landscape, and the mechanics and implications of the State Peace and Security Commission’s election exercise.

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The Challenges of International Funding for Myanmar’s Civil Society Organizations
Dec
12

The Challenges of International Funding for Myanmar’s Civil Society Organizations

Join the Stimson Center for a talk by Aye Lei Tun, PhD Candidate in Political Science at McMaster University. As an expert on Myanmar’s pro-democracy civil society organizations (CSOs), Aye Lei Tun will delve into the complexities of how CSOs are strategizing for survival amid pressures by the ruling junta, with new research tracking the latest developments in Myanmar’s civil society.

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International Human Rights Day: The Evolution of Human Rights Activism in Indonesia
Dec
10

International Human Rights Day: The Evolution of Human Rights Activism in Indonesia

Join the Indonesia Institute at Australian National University (ANU) for their annual Human Rights Day panel, which brings together experts with deep knowledge of the historical evolutions of human rights activism and protections, from independence to the present day. Speakers include: Sidney Jones (NYSEAN and NYU), Dede Oetemo (GAYa NUSANTARA Foundation), Usman Hamid (Amnesty International Indonesia), and Robert Cribb (ANU). Dyah Ayu Kartika, PhD candidate in the Department of Political and Social Change at ANU, will moderate the discussion.

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A Postcolonial Theory of Free Speech
Dec
4

A Postcolonial Theory of Free Speech

Join the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University for a talk by Kevin D. Pham, Assistant Professor of Political Theory at the University of Amsterdam. Dr. Pham will discuss how revolutionaries in Vietnam debated the value of free speech. Drawing on the writings of the Nhân Văn-Giai Phẩm (NVGP), a movement of intellectuals who proclaimed support for free speech and communist revolution in North Vietnam in the late 1950s, Pham shows how the NVGP defend free speech as a collective right, rather than an individual one, and as something that can invigorate the Party so that it can more effectively guide the people towards socialism.

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A Security-Feminist Order: Women in Counter Extremism
Nov
19

A Security-Feminist Order: Women in Counter Extremism

  • Regional Institutes Boardroom, HC Coombs Extension Building 8, 9 Fellows Road, ANU (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the Philippines Institute at Australian National University for a talk by Dr. Queenie Tomaro, visiting fellow of the ANU Philippines Institute and a faculty at the Department of Political Science, Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology. This seminar examines how women engaged in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) perceive and navigate the convergence of Women, Peace and Security and P/CVE agendas.

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Indigeneity in the Philippines: Studies on Knowledge, Identity, and Rights
Nov
18

Indigeneity in the Philippines: Studies on Knowledge, Identity, and Rights

Join the Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages, the York Centre for Asian Research, the Philippines Study Group, and York International at York University for the virtual book launch of Indigeneity in the Philippines: Studies on Knowledge, Identity, and Rights. The following book contributors will be in attendance: Oona Paredes, Associate Professor of Southeast Asian Studies at UCLA; Ruth Tindaan, Associate Professor of English at the University of the Philippines - Baguio; and Maria Cecilia Medina, Associate Professor at the Asian Center of the University of the Philippines - Baguio.

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Vietnamerica: The Story of the Nation's Largest Refugee Group
Nov
18

Vietnamerica: The Story of the Nation's Largest Refugee Group

  • NYU Wagner - Lafayette Conference Room, Floor 2 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join NYSEAN and GETSEA for a screening of Vietnamerica , a documentary that follows Master Nguyen Hoa as he returns to former refugee camps in Southeast Asia after three decades abroad to search for the graves of his wife and two children. The screening is followed by a discussion with Executive Producer Nancy Bui of the Vietnamese Heritage Foundation.

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Chokepoint Authoritarianism: State Control of Digital Infrastructure and its Impact on Democratic Discourse - The Case of Indonesia
Nov
17

Chokepoint Authoritarianism: State Control of Digital Infrastructure and its Impact on Democratic Discourse - The Case of Indonesia

  • York University - Room 280N, Second Floor, York Lanes, Keele Campus (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join York University’s Canadian Southeast Asian Studies Initiative Research Colloquium 2025–26 for their inaugural event featuring Irene Poetranto, Course Instructor of Contemporary Asian Studies and PhD student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, who will discuss the impact of Indonesia’s changing internet landscape on dissent, civic discourse, and the pursuit of democratic reform.

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Thailand and its Middle Power Aspiration
Nov
5

Thailand and its Middle Power Aspiration

Join the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a seminar exploring the evolution of Thailand’s middle-power aspiration, its recurring retreat into small-power conduct, and how this oscillation is shaped by domestic political instability, bureaucratic inertia, and strategic uncertainty. This panel features speakers from Thammasat University’s Faculty of Political Science, including: Dr. Jittipat Poonkham, Associate Dean for Academic and International Affairs, Director of International Studies Program, and Associate Professor of International Relations; Dr. Fuadi Pitsuwan, lecturer in International Relations; and Dr. Pongkwan Sawasdipakdi, lecturer in International Relations and Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies.

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