Dialogues at Fulcrum

Fulcrum editor Lee Hwok Aun unpacks Malaysia’s previous general election – and the next one – with four contributors of the just-published book Malaysia’s 2022 General Election: Crafting Power in a Crowded Arena : Howard Lee, Nuurrianti Jalli, Shahril Hamdan, and Danesh Chacko. 2:55 – Big tent coalitional politics in Malaysia 11:56 – Effects of social media and TikTok on electoral health 18:19 – C...

Fulcrum editor William Choong talks to Piper Campbell and Joanne Lin about Southeast Asia operating amid rivalry between China and the US. Ambassador Campbell is the Inaugural Chair of the Department of Foreign Policy and Global Security, American University. She has taught at the university since January 2020. This followed a distinguished, 30-year diplomatic career. Joanne Lin is the coordinator...

Fulcrum editor William Choong talks to Kei Koga about Japan’s grand strategy and approach to the Indo-Pacific amid challenges to the global rules-based order. Prof Koga is Associate Professor and Head of Division at the Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). 4:20 – Japan’s grand strategy towards the Indo-Pacific? 10:30 – How t...

Fulcrum editor William Choong talks to Mathis Lohatepanont about the implications of the recent elections in Thailand. Mr Lohatepanont, a frequent contributor to Fulcrum, is a Ph. D. candidate at the Department of Political Science, University of Michigan. 2:10 – A decisive outcome in the recent Thai elections 5:08 – Will reported procedural irregularities undermine the election results? 8:46 – Th...

Fulcrum editor Lee Hwok-Aun speaks with Stephen Olson, Visiting Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute , on the implications of the US Supreme Court declaring Trump’s IEEPA-based tariffs illegal. 2:35 – The crux, surprising and expected elements of the Supreme Court 5:47 – Section 122 tariffs (15% for 150 days) – what should Southeast Asian countries do? 12:39 – Section 232 tariffs (based...

Fulcrum editor and Coordinator, Indonesia Studies Programme, Julia Lau speaks to Dr Ian Wilson about power, politics, and popular culture, including the phenomenon of 'preman' in today's Indonesia. 1:35 – Unpacking the causes of the violent protests in Indonesia in August 2025 9:00 – Prevalence of Preman ('Gangster') politics in Indonesia today 17:56 – Contrasting contemporary...

Fulcrum editor Dr William Choong speaks to Dr Napon Jatusripitak, Acting Coordinator of the Thailand Studies Programme at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, about the recent political shifts in Thai domestic politics. They examine the rise of Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party (BJP), the BJP’s awkward partnership with the People’s Party (PP), and competition between...

Fulcrum editor Lee Hwok Aun speaks with Stephen Olson,Visiting Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute , on making sense of the Trump tariffs and thinking through the unpredictabilities.  2:38 – How Trump 2.0 differs from Trump 1.0 and Biden 10:07 – How to understand the “deals” 16:00 – Threat of semiconductor tariffs and forced semiconductor investment in the US 19:47 – The transshipment p...

Fulcrum editor Julia Lau talks to Dr Yanuar Nugroho about the progress of and myriad challenges facing Indonesia's new capital city, Nusantara. 1:10 – Overview of Nusantara’s status as a national project under the Prabowo Subianto administration 6:55 – Challenges facing Nusantara’s development and “success indicators” to look out for 9:10 – Foreign investments… 10:20 – Feedback and experiences...

Fulcrum editor Lee Hwok Aun and Malaysia Studies Programme Coordinator Francis Hutchinson speak with Liew Chin Tong, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry. Their conversation spans Malaysia’s challenges in engineering a second industrial take-off, implementing reforms, and navigating global uncertainties. 1:18 – Malaysia and Singapore at this historical juncture 3:31 – Scept...

Fulcrum editor William Choong talks to Niclas Kvarnström, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service (EEAS), about the European Union’s evolving approaches to the Indo-Pacific. 1:28 – Niclas Kvarnström’s role as the MD for Asia and the Pacific in the EEAS 4:27 – Niclas Kvarnström’s assessment of French President Emmanuel Macron’s keynote speech at the Shangr...

Fulcrum editor Lee Hwok Aun converses with Minister Nik Nazmi about the urgent challenges of sustainability and climate change from Malaysian and ASEAN perspectives. 2:28 –  Why write this book? 6:26 –  An integrated approach to complex problems 10:25 –  Malaysia’s development model – retrospective self-criticism and new framework 14:53 –  From activism to government 18:25 –  What needs to happen...

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...

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...

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 CLVD...

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 Fo...

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...

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. 1:30 – An overview of ISEAS’ Philippine Studies Programme⁠ 7:12...

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...

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). Dialogues at Fulcrum is a  podcast  published b...

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&...

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 b...

Fulcrum editor Julia Lau sits down with Dr Udan Fernando, former Executive Director (2012-2020) of the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA), a Sri Lankan think tank. Based in Singapore and working as a consultant with the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), Dr Fernando is currently working on a project to develop under-represented scholars in the humanities and social sciences in Cambodia, India, P...

In this episode, Dr William Choong, Managing Editor of Fulcrum , and Dr Jayant Menon, Senior Fellow at ISEAS , talk to Prof Sophal Ear, Associate Professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, about the political transition in Cambodia. Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute. For quick reference, the themes below were...

In this dialogue, which follows on his May 16th podcast , “Defining Tests for UMNO, Anwar and the Unity Government”, Khairy Jamaluddin discusses the main arena of those defining tests: the August 12th Peninsular state elections (PRN2023). Khairy speaks with Fulcrum editor Dr Lee Hwok Aun and Dr Francis Hutchinson, both Senior Fellows at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, about the outcomes and implica...