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...
asean
asian diplomacy
batik
cultural heritage
cultural soft power
diplomacy
diplomatic strategy
east asia summit
geopolitics
great power rivalries
indo-pacific
indonesia
international relations
jakarta summit
multilateralism
regional cooperation
regional security
soft power
southeast 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...
artificial intelligence
asean
asia politics
cultural heritage
economic development
educational policy
educational reform
english proficiency
european union
global competitiveness
international business
language education
language policy
language politics
language usage
language vs culture
malaysia
multilingualism
science and technology
scientific research
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...
asean
bilingual education
chinese language
cultural diversity
economic development
education reform
english language
english proficiency
global innovation
language and progress
language barriers
language learning
language myths
language policy
language skills
linguistic strategy
malaysia
multilingualism
national unity
science and technology