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Begin New Search Political Geography Southeast Asia Content Type Video Publishing Institution Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University

1. Imperfect Partners: The United States and Southeast Asia

Author:
Scot Marciel and Ann Marie Murphy
Publication Date:
05-2023
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
This event will discuss U.S.-Southeast Asian relations with Ambassador Scot Marciel, the former United States Ambassador to Indonesia and Myanmar. The talk will be based on his new book which will be released on March 15, 2023 entitled Imperfect Partners: the United States and Southeast Asia. Imperfect Partners is a unique hybrid – part memoir, part foreign policy study of U.S. relations with Southeast Asia, a critically important region that has become the central arena in the global U.S.-China competition. From the People Power revolt in the Philippines to the opening of diplomatic relations with Vietnam, from building a partnership with newly democratic Indonesia to responding to genocide in Myanmar and coups in Thailand, Scot Marciel was present and involved. His direct involvement and deep knowledge of the region, along with his extensive policymaking work in Washington, allows him to bring to life the complexities and realities of key events and U.S. responses, along with rare insights into U.S. foreign policy decision-making and the work of American diplomats in the field.
Topic:
International Relations, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, and Competition
Political Geography:
China, Indonesia, Asia, North America, Southeast Asia, Myanmar, and United States of America

2. Rethinking "China" and the "Cold War"

Author:
Chien Wen Kung and Eugenia Lean
Publication Date:
04-2023
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
Fears of Southeast Asia’s Chinese as conduits for the People's Republic of China defined the Cold War in Southeast Asia. Yet, ironically, the example of the Philippine Chinese shows that the "China" which intervened the most extensively in any Southeast Asian country after 1949 was the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. Based on the speaker’s book, Diasporic Cold Warriors, this talk explains how one of the smallest overseas Chinese communities in the region became the most ardent diasporic supporters of the ROC in the world from the 1950s to the 1970s. During this period, the Kuomintang-ROC party-state's overseas Chinese networks entrenched themselves in the Philippines with the consent and participation of the Philippine state, giving rise to a dynamic and contingent arrangement of shared, non-territorial sovereignty. Taipei and Manila's intersecting anticommunist projects were, in turn, instrumental to how translocal Chinese forged politically appropriate identities and adapted themselves to the postcolonial Philippines as ethno-ideological subjects.
Topic:
Cold War, History, and Regional Politics
Political Geography:
China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia

3. One Year after the Myanmar Coup

Author:
Esther Ze Bamvo, James C. Scott, David Thang Moe, and Lien-Hang T. Nguyen
Publication Date:
02-2022
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
Myanmar has been a military country since 1962, but the recent military coup deserves international attention. Since the junta seized power by removing the democratically elected government on February 1, 2021, citizens from all walks of life have risen up in strong resistance to the coup. Religion and ethnicity have played a dividing and exclusionary role in Burmese politics, resulting most tragically in the persecution of the Rohingya. However, the urgent need for solidarity of an anti-coup movement led by youth from “Generation Z” has brought together protesters from different religions and ethnicities. Urban civilians, mostly from ethnic majorities, and ethnic minorities from small towns and the most remote hill villages have bridged their religious and ethnic divides to resist the coup for the common goal of federal democracy. Within one year, military junta has killed almost 1,500, detained almost 12,000, and has displaced millions of civilians. Despite the risks, civilians continue to resist the new order through various everyday and creative forms of movement. This event, marking the anniversary of the coup, will recognize Myanmar’s democratic movement, remember fallen heroes, and reflect on the origins and ongoing movements of interreligious and interethnic resistance to the coup. Three panelists, including a person who co-led the first largest anti-coup protest movement on the frontline, will share their expertise on the origins, stories, strategies, and challenges of resistance to the coup. They will also suggest ways that the international community can support Myanmar’s ongoing democratic movement. This event is sponsored by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and cosponsored by the New York Southeast Asia Network (NYSEAN).
Topic:
Democracy, Protests, Coup, Resistance, and Military
Political Geography:
Southeast Asia and Myanmar

4. Long Odds Struggles in East and Southeast Asia, the 1910-1920s and 2010-2020s

Author:
Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Manan Ahmed, Lien-Hang Nguyen, and Jeffrey Ngo
Publication Date:
04-2022
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
During the first decades of the last century, activists with ties to various parts of Asia embraced and then discarded different ideologies and found varying ways to connect with one another, sometimes in exile. What linked them were some shared grievances, such as a dislike of the way their community was being bullied or controlled by people in a distant capital and of the limits on their freedom to speak out on issues that concerned them and organize to bring about change. We have been seeing something similar in some ways but different in others take place now, as activists in and exiles from Hong Kong, Thailand and Burma take part in what is sometimes called "Milk Tea Alliance" struggles. There are obvious contrasts: importance of online connections now is novel; the Chinese state was a weak force a century ago, but is a strong one today; Vietnamese activists were a more central part of the earlier story than the current one; ties between South Asian and East Asian exiles were more notable a century ago; and there is no contemporary counterpart to the Comintern on the scene connecting radicals. And yet, this talk will argue, there are important echoes of the earlier period to be heard today, as well as much to learn about how different struggles in East and Southeast Asia influenced one another at other points in time, such as the 1980s. This talk will focus on Chinese activists of the early 1900s and Hong Kong ones now but place both groups in comparative and transnational perspectives, will move between the two eras with an eye toward reoccurrences, ruptures, and reversals.
Topic:
Protests, Ideology, and Activism
Political Geography:
China, Asia, Burma, Thailand, Southeast Asia, and Hong Kong

5. Migrant Worker Rights in Singapore: Advocacy, Legal Frameworks and Prospects for Change

Author:
Debbie Fordyce and Laavanya Kathiravelu
Publication Date:
12-2022
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
Debbie Fordyce, President of Transient Workers Council Too, and Laavanya Kathiravelu, Associate professor at Nanyang Technological University, will discuss their advocacy and research on migrant worker issues in Singapore. COVID-19 highlighted some of the structural problems faced by the large population of migrant workers in Singapore. Systemic problems include high recruitment costs, restricted job mobility, employer’s right to terminate the worker at will, and weak wage protection. Our speakers will address these issues and what might be done to protect the rights and needs of migrant workers in Singapore.
Topic:
Advocacy, COVID-19, Migrant Workers, and Migrants
Political Geography:
Singapore and Southeast Asia

6. Thailand: The New Monarchy Under King Vajiralongkorn?

Author:
Pavin Chachavalpongpun and Ann Marie Murphy
Publication Date:
10-2022
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
King Vajiralongkorn was crowned on 1 December 2016, although the official ceremony was not until 4 May 2019 (note that the official coronation was a three-day celebration from 4-6 May 2019). During this interval, Vajiralongkorn made known of his political ambition. For example, he intervened in the constitutional drafting process, requesting provisions related to the monarchy be amended. He restructured the Privy Council, removing some old councillors and filled the positions with military men. He also reformed the Crown Property Bureau. Assets previously registered to the CPB, from June 2018, would be held “in the name of His Majesty”. In other words, Vajiralongkorn took sole control of the CPB, erasing any ambiguity about the owner of this superrich organisation. A scholar argues, “The monarchy now holds more formal power than any king since 1932. The king and the military have an accommodation built around the military’s capacity for repression”. Under Bhumibol, political stability was key to the flourishing reign. Politics was predictable. Benefits were shared among major stakeholders. Underpinning Bhumibol’s strength was his unsurpassed ability to accumulate moral authority through the invigoration of the neo-royalist ideology. Under Vajiralongkorn, the palace has striven for a new management style. This talk discusses the beginning of the new reign under King Vajiralongkorn. In particular, it seeks to discuss his relationship with other key institutions, including the democratic forces.
Topic:
Domestic Politics, Institutions, Monarchy, and Military
Political Geography:
Thailand and Southeast Asia

7. Thailand Update: Protests Revisited (Part 1)

Author:
Thongchai Winichakul, Duncan McCargo, Tyrell Haberkorn, Prajak Kongkirati, Aim Sinpeng, Saowanee Alexander, and Kanokrat Lertchoosakul
Publication Date:
03-2021
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
Since the emergence of mass student-led rallies in mid-July 2019, political protest has once again become a major focus of interest in Thailand. This year’s Thailand Update (the sixth so far) links discussions of previous rounds of protest – notably the 6 October 1976 events, the subject of a major new 2020 book by Thongchai Winichakul – to ask searching questions about these recent demonstrations.
Topic:
Politics, History, Domestic Politics, Protests, and Political Movements
Political Geography:
Thailand and Southeast Asia

8. Thailand Update: Protests Revisited (Part 2)

Author:
Duncan McCargo, Saowanee Alexander, Aim Sinpeng, and Kanokrat Lertchoosakul
Publication Date:
03-2021
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
Since the emergence of mass student-led rallies in mid-July 2019, political protest has once again become a major focus of interest in Thailand. This year’s Thailand Update (the sixth so far) links discussions of previous rounds of protest – notably the 6 October 1976 events, the subject of a major new 2020 book by Thongchai Winichakul – to ask searching questions about these recent demonstrations.
Topic:
History, Protests, Political Movements, and Demonstrations
Political Geography:
Thailand and Southeast Asia

9. Trauma and Memory in Vietnamese America: Anti-Communism, Authoritarianism, and Anti-Asian

Author:
Viet Thanh Nguyen, Hoi Trinh, Lan Cao, Eugenia Lean, John Phan, and Lien-Hang Nguyen
Publication Date:
04-2021
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
On January 6, 2021, the former Republic of Vietnam (RVN) flag of the vanquished South Vietnam regime flew alongside the Confederate flag and other emblems of white supremacy on the steps of the Capitol. This panel, which includes Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen, acclaimed human rights activist and lawyer Hoi Trinh (his father is a reeducation camp survivor), Law Professor and author Lan Cao, as well as Hang Nguyen and John Phan, discussed the contested memory of the Vietnam War, the politics of the RVN flag in U.S. politics today, and the impact on US-SRV relations moving forward. This event was organized by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and cosponsored by the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race (CSER) at Columbia University.
Topic:
History, Trauma, Memory, Violence, and Anti-Communism
Political Geography:
Vietnam, Southeast Asia, and United States of America

10. Flying Blind: Vietnam’s Decision to Join ASEAN

Author:
Tung Vu Nguyen, Dinh Quy Quy, Andrew Nathan, Anne Marie Murphy, and Lien-Hang Nguyen
Publication Date:
05-2021
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
Vietnam Studies and NYSEAN are proud to host a book launch of Flying Blind with its author, Nguyen Vu Tung, who is also a Columbia PhD who worked with Professors Nathan and Murphy. Currently, Dr. Tung is Vietnam Ambassador to South Korea. During this virtual “homecoming” and book launch, Ambassador Quy introduced Ambassador Tung who presented the findings of his book. This event was organized by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and cosponsored by the Vietnam Studies Program at Columbia University and the New York Southeast Asia Network.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, and ASEAN
Political Geography:
Vietnam and Southeast Asia

11. Vietnamese Representation, Queerness, Nostalgia in Leon Le's Song Lang

Author:
Leon Le, Ronald Gregg, Takuya Tsunoda, Ying Qian, and John Phan
Publication Date:
04-2021
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
LGBTQ representation in Vietnamese film—itself only a recently burgeoning artform and industry—has hitherto been virtually nonexistent. And yet, the film industry in Vietnam has experienced a meteoric development over the past fifteen years or so—overlapping almost precisely, with a rapid and dramatic transformation in social attitudes towards sexuality, and especially same-sex relationships. While LGBTQ relationships and identities have always been a part of Vietnamese culture over long centuries of development, the past fifteen years have witnessed a turn towards explicit embrace, as well as a broadening concept of sexuality and relationship, beyond simple and strict notions of homo-versus heterosexuality. This broadening has included the representation of deeply emotive same-sex relationships that have less to do with sexual liberation than they have to do with the revival and/or reconsideration of a diversity of emotional relationships that occur between members of the same sex—including the erotic and romantic. Leon Le’s Song Lang stands at the forefront of this movement. Filmed entirely in Vietnam, Song Lang focuses on the relationship between a local gangster and an actor in a Cai Luong ‘reform opera’ troupe under the control of the gang. The film has been praised not only for its rich visual vocabulary, sense of tone and atmosphere, homage to the artform of Cai Luong opera, and uniquely nostalgic look at 1980s Saigon, but also for its sensitive and moving expression of a relationship between two that defies social categorization. Writer/Director Leon Le emigrated to the US at the age of 13, and after making a name for himself as an actor in New York’s musical theater scene, has gone on to become an award-winning director. His two previous films, Dawn (2013) and My Mother (2014) both earned him multiple awards, including Best Short Film for Dawn (VIFFI), Best Director for Dawn (YXINEFF), Best Director and Best Actor for My Mother, and Best LGBT Short Film (YXINEFF) for both Dawn and My Mother. Please note that a few minutes are missing from the introduction of the event.
Topic:
Arts, Film, Representation, LGBT+, and Nostalgia
Political Geography:
Vietnam and Southeast Asia

12. Human Rights in Southeast Asia and China

Author:
Donald Emmerson, Sarah Cook, and Amy Freedman
Publication Date:
11-2021
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Abstract:
Human rights in Southeast Asia have deteriorated along with democratic freedoms. Don Emmerson will give an overview of human rights issues in Southeast Asia and look at how Chinese foreign policy in Southeast Asia affects, and is affected by, the more despotic character of ASEAN’s mainland compared with its maritime member states. He will address how much or how little influence China has in the region. Sarah Cook will then address the issue from the other side; looking at China’s internal political dynamics and rights abuses and how China’s foreign policy towards Southeast Asia is affected by those domestic conflicts. This event is co- sponsored by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and the Global Asia Institute at Pace University.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Democracy, and ASEAN
Political Geography:
China and Southeast Asia