AUTHOR'S BIO

Simon Tay

Simon Tay is chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and a fellow of the Asia Society.

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Waiting for Obama

2009-10-28

As Barack Obama gears up for a long trip to Asia in November, he has the opportunity to ensure that the region continues to see the US as the essential actor – now more open and helpful than before. Asian regionalism is messy and rife with tensions and flash points, and the US has an opportunity to re-assert its role as the stabilizing power in the region.... read

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ASEAN’s New Approach to Myanmar

Simon Tay Series: The Asian Century

2009-09-01

The recent decision by Myanmar’s government to sentence pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to a further 18 months’ house arrest shows how difficult it is to deal with that country’s ruling generals. Yet the first steps in a new approach by Myanmar's ASEAN neighbors may already have been taken.... read

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Hillary in Asia, Round Two

Simon Tay Series: The Asian Century

2009-07-10

On her first Asian trip in February, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton provided a welcome contrast to the past with her openness to others' views, her willingness to cooperate, and her star power. But, with expectations raised, her upcoming trip to meet foreign ministers at the ASEAN Regional Forum, and to visit India, will be trickier. ... read

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Asian Values Revisited

Simon Tay Series: The Asian Century

2002-04-22

Talk about "Asian Values" is rarely heard nowadays. Its currency seems to have been devalued along with East Asia's once booming economies. For Asia's financial crisis of a few years back uncovered many excesses that hid behind the rhetoric of Asian values - the cozy relations between governments and elites; rampant corruption, cronyism and nepotism. ... read

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