Mark S. Cogan

Mark S. Cogan is an Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. He is a former communications specialist with the United Nations in Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East. His Twitter is: https://twitter.com/markscogan

BRICS Expansion: India’s Tragic Mistake

cc 15th BRICS SUMMIT, modified, https://www.flickr.com/photos/197960982@N04/53137049345/

For India, BRICS expansion is a major foreign policy blunder that puts additional power into the hands of a regional rival while restricting its own.

Pita Touches the “Third Rail” of Thai Politics

cc Alisdare Hickson, modified, https://flickr.com/photos/alisdare/52988227215/in/photolist-2oJ6WHv-2oJ74V1-2oJ5K9u-2oJ238A-2oJovSp-2oJiwxE

By touching the ‘third rail’ of Thai politics, Move Forward faces the same fate as its predecessor Future Forward—oblivion.

Thailand’s Outgoing Government Disgraces Itself One Last Time on Myanmar

cc World Travel & Tourism Cou, modified, https://flickr.com/photos/worldtravelandtourismcouncil/34122234452/in/photolist-2nkewcw-2nkbB9z-2nrGrhE-2hM2dTj-2nk6c8T-2hM5Fp8-2o5RFUn-AJcKx3-2nkewfc-2nkc6W9-2nkc79y-2nkc77V-P4hizz-2nkc2SR-2nkc2Pu-Pc5g78-2nkc2QM-2nkc7bc-2hM5Nxg-2nkewtP-TZgnv7-2nk6cab-2nkcHqr-2hLZy8F-2hM27To-2nrAXHk-2hLZLix-2nrJGJ4-2nrGdjy-2nkbAUS-2nkcHD7-2nkbwVx-2nkbB2W-2nk6ceV-2nk6cmy-2hLZpet-2nkewnG-2hM4CrB-2hM3oFX-2hM3BNd-Pc5oQz-2hM3kFo-2hM3Q9R-2hM13yo-2hM3viu-WgArJ9-WgAvr9-WWjjEU-Wj1xpg-XxpAJx

In extending the recognition olive branch to the Myanmar junta, Thailand’s generals bucked the ASEAN consensus; however, Thailand’s next government will be far less accommodating.

G7 Provides Common Statement on China, but Challenges Remain

cc首相官邸ホームページ, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=G7%20hiroshima&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns12=1&ns14=1&ns100=1&ns106=1#/media/File:Fumio_Kishida_and_Emmanuel_Macron_bilateral_meeting_at_the_G7_Hiroshima_Summit_(1).jpg

Despite the outward message of unity, at home, many of the G7 members face challenges that threaten to overwhelm efforts to quell turmoil in the Indo-Pacific.

Hun Sen Has Botched Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship

cc kremlin.ru, modified, Пресс-служба Президента России, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hun_Sen_(2016).jpg

The Cambodian leader has botched all attempts at deescalating the Myanmar crisis and only increased the legitimacy of the ruling junta.

UN’s Failed Xinjiang Visit Comes at Heavy Cost

cc Gobierno de Chile, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&redirs=0&search=Bachelet%20china&fulltext=Search&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns14=1&title=Special:Search&advanced=1&fulltext=Advanced%20search#/media/File:Presidenta_Bachelet_recibe_en_Visita_de_Estado_al_Mandatario_de_la_Rep%C3%BAblica_Popular_China_(30815065590).jpg

Despite years of posturing and negotiation, the UN’s grand opportunity to shed light on some of the gravest human rights abuses of our time ended in total failure.

Japan’s Recent Diplomacy in Cambodia Bears Fruit

cc Japan 首相官邸, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20220225_kaiken_07.jpg

Japan’s long-standing and close relationship with Cambodia has paid dividends recently, specifically on the Ukraine crisis and the South China Sea.

Information Wars: Securitization Creep Pervades Thai Society

cc Government of Thailand, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prayuth_Jan-ocha_2010-06-17.jpg

The Thai government is locked in a years-long struggle to position itself as the ultimate arbiter of truth.

The Rise, Dominance, and Decline of Thailand’s Monarchy

The protests on 18 July 2020 in a large demonstration organized under the Free Youth umbrella (Thai: เยาวชนปลดแอก; RTGS: yaowachon plot aek) at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok., cc Supanut Arunoprayote. , modified, https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Protest_in_2020_Democracy_Monument_(II).jpg

To understand the demands of student protesters in Thailand, one must first understand the royalist-military compact that has dominated the country’s politics for decades.

Land Rights in Cambodia and the Long Persecution of a Buddhist Monk

cc Flickr Appie Verschoor, modified, https://www.flickr.com/photos/xiffy/2781586556/in/photolist-5eNmLU-aikHeH-94b7qJ-uHbmFx-d6yfkS-3hQeyG-iavtBP-6BQpiA-dKkfPd-5UUFog-7SsmJv-aimPhD-aindxG-uHaAtV-vEoJmv-5h1ptb-nH4au2-zFFk1w-vnyR1x-qFWKnj-6r4cwt-5SJenE-vnyUMR-vDsQV1-3hPd5N-uHb1dt-uHb3fz-c7Bpbo-vE1Rat-vBHEZq-vEp66B-vDsQs7-vE1MMX-vEp2qk-uHbpvR-uHbrQa-vnryTN-5vUaCg-a1grT-5vYG6m-8j96RF-czUe43-psQWzA-b9vxW8-ki5jVX-dNY1rf-bg923D-ki58hr-oaTGgk-c7B6VQ

The personal experience of activist Luon Sovath reflects a rapidly shrinking space for political dissent in Cambodia.

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