Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Southeast Asia Brief.

In this penultimate edition of the newsletter in 2025, we take a look at an unsettled year.

Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Southeast Asia Brief.

In this penultimate edition of the newsletter in 2025, we take a look at an unsettled year.

In March, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and handed over to the International Criminal Court by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., a former ally. Later that month, Myanmar saw a huge earthquake that devastated the country’s center and helped the junta grind out a partial comeback.

In May, Singapore saw its first election since its new prime minister, Lawrence Wong, took over last year. Despite the ruling party’s jitters, its final performance was strong.

From August on, numerous countries—the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia—were battered by extreme weather and flooding. And in October, a joint U.K. and U.S. investigation into the Prince Group revealed the extent to which scam groups are embedded in the Cambodian state.

But four stories really stood out—and reshaped the region.

I’m off for the holidays next week but will see you for a preview of the year ahead on New Year’s Eve.

Thailand-Cambodia War

As the year ends, the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is back on and, at the time of writing, developing rapidly.

Fighting has now entered its second week, and Thailand denies U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of a negotiated cease-fire. The Thai military has declared maximalist goals to

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