The Southeast Asia Pacific Frontier

The Southeast Asia Pacific Frontier

Rethinking obesity: Another face of poverty in the Pacific
In Oceania, rising obesity rates are not simply a matter of lifestyle or personal choice—they reflect decades of colonial disruption, food dependency…
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team
Stablecoins and the peso: The BSP’s new monetary challenge
As the BSP allows USDT and USDC payments through QRPh, the Philippines is becoming a real-world test case for whether stablecoins can coexist with…
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team
Why violence against women continues to rise despite policy protections in Southeast Asia
Why legal reforms alone are insufficient in addressing the deeply rooted social, cultural, and institutional barriers that continue to shape violence…
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team
The blind spot behind Malaysia's semiconductor boom —and why it’s bleeding talent
Malaysia’s semiconductor push is gaining momentum, but low wages and a misaligned STEM pipeline threaten to derail its transition to high-value chip…
 • Bijaksabara
Asymmetric by design: The Philippines and Pax Silica
Pax Silica, mineral sovereignty, and the limits of economic security partnerships between the Philippines and the US.
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team

April 2026

The arms exporter Tokyo is becoming, and what it means for Southeast Asia
Japan’s shift to lethal arms exports marks a decisive turn in Southeast Asia’s security order, deepening regional divides while testing Tokyo’s ability…
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team
When the feed becomes the forum: The digital public sphere, echo chambers, and Philippine democracy
Disinformation, algorithmic spectacle, and institutional power are fragmenting Southeast Asia’s digital public sphere — and testing the limits of…
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team
The Philippines’ UNSC seat bid, and what it means for Southeast Asia
How Manila’s global ambitions could reshape regional diplomacy and security
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team
Why Singapore held to principle while SEA negotiated for survival in the Strait of Hormuz
As the Strait of Hormuz crisis disrupted global oil flows, ASEAN countries diverged—balancing energy security, freedom of navigation, and economic…
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team
Why Asia and the Pacific civil society organizations are reclaiming the narrative of climate mobility from top-down policy
Beyond displacement statistics, this piece explores how civil society is redefining climate mobility as a question of dignity, agency, and the…
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team
How strategic delays pushed the Philippines toward joint oil and gas exploration with China
Decades of delay, rising energy pressure, and the strategic trade-offs behind Manila’s pivot to joint exploration with Beijing.
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team
Understanding the geopolitics of the US' Artemis Program as counter to China's ILRS program and its implications in the ASEAN-Pacific region
When space exploration becomes the next battlefield for global and space power.
 • The SEA Pacific Frontier Team
© 2026 Matthew Parra · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture