Fulcrum editor William Choong discusses Australia’s strategic choices amid intensifying Sino-US rivalry and increased geopolitical flux with Prof Nick Bisley.

3:08 –  Australia’s “extreme strategic loneliness” under Trump 2.0

12:50 –  AUKUS submarines: will Australia get them?

21:30 –  Is there a method in Trump’s “madness”?

28:00 –  Has Trump 2.0 given China a window of opportunity?

37:10 –  How can Southeast Asian countries cope in such a changed environment?

41:30 –  Wherefore the Quad if the US withdraws from it?

Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

Fulcrum editor Julia Lau speaks to Ambassador Alex Tilman about Timor-Leste's imminent accession to ASEAN and its implications. They delve into aspects of Timor-Leste's identity as a Lusophone, small island, and majority Catholic nation-state.

1:40 –  Introducing Ambassador Alex Tilman

3:17 –  How the global uptick in tensions affects Timor-Leste and ASEAN

5:35 –  How Timor-Leste hopes to diversify its economy

10:50 –  Timor-Leste’s identity and priorities as a Lusophone and small island nation-state

14:27 –  How Timor-Leste’s being majority Catholic affects its identity and foreign policy

16:55 –  The NGO, Maluk Timor

18:30 –  What can travellers to Timor-Leste expect?

21:05 –  Ambassador Tilman’s journey to diplomacy

Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.

Fulcrum editor Julia Lau discusses the complex issue of Cambodia-Vietnam relations in light of their new leadership. One issue examined is Cambodia's recent withdrawal from the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area and what it means for the region.

2:07 – Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLVDTA)

9:26 – “Losers all around?” Vietnam’s view on Cambodia’s withdrawal from CLVDTA

13:30 – The role of individual leaders in geopolitics: new leaders in Vietnam and Cambodia testing their powers?

25:00 – Short-term prognosis for bilateral relations

37:12 – How to build trust and longer-term bilateral outlook

41:04 – Dealing with US and China: Hedging, Balancing, or …?

44:20 – The South China Sea dispute

45:54 – Cambodia’s reaction to the first Trump win in the US presidential election (PE) 2016 versus PE2024

49:53 – Cambodia’s agency

55:00 – How small nation-states can stabilise ties and enhance multilateral cooperation

Fulcrum editor Julia Lau discusses the latest dramatic political events and the new government in Thailand with Acting Coordinator of ISEAS' Thailand Studies Programme, Dr Napon Jatusripitak.

1:11 –  How did the Srettha Thavisin administration come to an end?

4:28 –  Judicial overreach in Srettha's dismissal

9:50 –  The weaknesses of democratic institutions

12:45 –  Dissolution of Move Forward Party and its implications

19:55 –  Paetongtarn Shinawatra's rise to premiership

26:16 –  Prospects for Paetongtarn's administration and Pheu Thai

29:43 –  Putting Thailand back in international politics?

31:30 –  "Digital Wallet" scheme

36:30 –  The new Cabinet

40:52 –  Family ties in the Cabinet

50:45 –  Dr Jatusripitak's research journey

William Choong, Fulcrum’s Managing Editor and ISEAS Senior Fellow, discusses the recent leadership changes in Vietnam with Dr Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at ISEAS’ Vietnam Studies Programme (VSP), and Dr Le Hong Hiep, the coordinator of the VSP.

1:39 – Drivers of Vietnam’s leadership changes

3:55 – Vietnam’s political future under General Secretary To Lam

10:28 – The durability of Vietnam’s anti-corruption drive

14:42 – Perceptions of To Lam’s public security background

18:50 – Changes in Vietnam’s economic direction

24:50 – The future of Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy”

28:20 – Vietnam’s future relations with Russia

30:25 – The future of the Vietnam-US relationship

William Choong, Fulcrum's Managing Editor and ISEAS Senior Fellow, discusses the recent Japan-Philippines reciprocal access agreement with Dr Aries Arugay, the coordinator of the institute’s Philippine Studies Programme, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

William Choong, Fulcrum's Managing Editor and ISEAS Senior Fellow, discusses the second volume of S. Rajaratnam's authorised biography, the Lion's Roar, with author and ISEAS writer-in-residence Irene Ng.

2:20 – An introduction by the author and her inspiration for the biography

7:21 – The themes in the biography which resonated most with the author

13:40 – Some trials and triumphs in writing the biography

18:40 – Would S. Rajaratnam have persisted in pushing the “Malaysian Malaysia” concept if he had known that it would not have been successful?

24:00 – How did S. Rajaratnam, the foreign minister of a small country, succeed in working with ASEAN to get Vietnam to withdraw from Cambodia in the end?

30:20 – S. Rajaratnam’s astuteness in dealing with China and the United States

35:01 – Intriguing aspects of S. Rajaratnam the man, his interests and his “inner spirit”

40:25 – S. Rajaratnam’s quest to go beyond material things to higher ideals

46:16 – A key takeaway that young Singaporeans should draw from S. Rajaratnam’s life

Fulcrum editor Lee Hwok Aun and ISEAS Malaysia Studies Programme Coordinator Francis Hutchinson discuss Malaysia's long reform journey and the hits and misses of Anwar Ibrahim's administration, with Meredith Weiss, ISEAS Visiting Senior Fellow and Professor of Political Science at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY).

2:14 – About Prof Weiss: beginnings of interest in Malaysia and Southeast Asia

5:12 – Important milestones in Malaysia’s reform journey

10:24 – Role of political leadership

15:10 – Most feasible and high-impact reforms for the Anwar administration

21:54 – Policy messaging and broad-based reforms

28:00 – Reform failures and missed opportunities

30:30 – Is Malaysian democracy maturing?

32:42 – What has civil society contributed and learned?

37:11 – Pakatan’s lack of sustained reforms compared to other countries

42:28 – Grading Malaysia’s reform achievement

Fulcrum editor Julia Lau discusses the recent Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) and the significance of two decades of the SLD with IISS Executive Director, Veerle Nouwens.

Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. For quick reference, the themes below were discussed:

0:55 – More about Veerle Nouwens

3:20 – Are the US and China engaging in "duelling narratives"?

11:11 – SLD's impact on US-China dialogue

16:22 – Has China won over the region?

23:03 – Is dialogue sufficient to resolve tensions over the South China Sea?

28:00 – Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's appearance at SLD and upcoming peace summit in Switzerland

35:02 – Other themes arising from SLD 21

37:27 – Veerle's advice to aspiring thinktankers

Fulcrum editor and Co-Coordinator of Indonesia Studies Programme Julia Lau discusses the United States' role and policies in Southeast Asia with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Melissa Brown, the day after her public address at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute on 13 March 2024.

Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. For quick reference, the themes below were discussed:

1:23 – Sino-U.S. relations

3:20 – U.S.-ASEAN cooperation

4:33 – U.S.-Singapore relations

6:04 – Regional architecture and ‘minilaterals’

10:15 – U.S. presence in the region amidst a more uncertain world

16:30 – Southeast Asia’s reaction to U.S. policy on Palestine after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel

22:37 – The U.S.’ economic engagement in the region 

33:12 – DAS Brown reflects on her career and experiences as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service