Fold or Call: Is the Philippines’ POGO Problem a National Security Threat?

Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGO) have shaken the Philippines’ perception of its internal security amid allegations of linked violent crimes and espionage. For several months the ongoing situation created more questions than any of the country’s officials can answer. Such issues have led to calls to raise it as a national security threat. However, security agencies refuse to do so despite the issue’s overwhelming severity.

BRP Sierra Madre: The Waves of Uncertainty Surrounding the Sentry of the Second Thomas Shoal

The BRP Sierra Madre acts as the Philippines’ stronghold over the Second Thomas Shoal against Chinese advances in the South China Sea. In the past year, tensions in the region have escalated, with both nations’ coast guard services engaged in heated confrontations. Due to the shoal’s strategic location, both countries employed risky strategies to pursue their goals of controlling this location. Hence, turning the shoal and the BRP Sierra Madre into the South China Sea’s new geopolitical flashpoint towards the boundaries of a possible conflict.

The New Normal/La Nouvelle Normalité/新常態: From Japan-South Korea Rapprochement, AUKUS Nuclear Submarine Cooperation, to the US gaining military access to Philine Base: US Deployment in the Indo-Pacific

The US is trying to strengthen its military ties with Japan, Korea, AUKUS, and the Philippines to contain China.

(Analysis) Assessing the Added Value of European Engagement with Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia locates at the core of the wider Indo-Pacific region and embraces one of the globe’s most crucial bodies of water for maritime trade, the South China Sea. Being also home to vibrantly growing economies, the region holds great strategic importance for most global players. This includes the European Union (EU), whose interests in such a faraway area are of vital importance and include both economic relationships and regional security.