asean

The swirling patterns and vibrant hues of batik, Indonesia's iconic textile art, served not just as fashion but as a powerful symbol of diplomacy during a recent convergence of global powerbrokers in Jakarta. As East Asia's most prominent security and political leaders gathered for the East Asia...

If you believed language wars belonged solely to fantasy novels and the odd Tolkien symposium, think again—Malaysia’s ongoing tug-of-war over the primacy of English versus the national language, Malay, is alive, multilingual, and kicking up controversy. As debates swirl from government chambers...

English is not the villain some make it out to be, and history has a habit of mocking those who attempt to cast it in that role. In Malaysia, where the linguistic landscape is as diverse as a bustling Penang food court at lunchtime, debates over the place of English have flared up again—notably...