Expert urges caution when turbulence is mistaken for transformation

Resilience has become a familiar term in recent years, especially after COVID-19, supply chain disruptions, rising geopolitical tensions and rapid technological change. But today, resilience is no longer just about recovery. It is about how countries and regions adapt and rethink how they operate in a more uncertain and fragmented world. For ASEAN, this challenge is particularly complex. Resilience looks different across emerging technologies, global value chains and health and other non-traditional security issues. And policy choices in one area can create vulnerabilities in another. In this episode's of Policy Unpacked, join our expert panel, LKYSPP's Dr. Denis Hew and Dr Miguel Gomez, Senior Research Fellows at the Centre on Asia and Globalisation, SMU's Associate Professor Chang Pao Li and RSIS' Professor Mely Anthony, as they explore what resilience really means for ASEAN and what it will take for the region to remain competitive, resilient and secure.

Southeast Asia is navigating a far more contested and uncertain strategic environment. Military tensions, major power rivalry and territorial disputes are growing, while transboundary challenges from economic shocks to cyber risks, are testing the region's resilience. For ASEAN, this raises a critical question: How can the region remain stable, resilient and relevant as global power structures shift? Tune in to this episode of Policy Unpacked with LKYSPP's Prof Selina Ho, Prof Khong Yuen Foong as well as, NUS' Law School's Prof Tan Hsien-Li, as they examine how changing global dynamics are reshaping the Asian regional order and what this means for ASEAN's role going forward.

If you’ve followed headlines about artificial intelligence, you’ve probably heard the neat, worrying story: the U.S. and China are racing for AI supremacy - America’s model is freewheeling private innovation, China’s is a tightly controlled state plan. It’s a compelling story, but incomplete. New research by Lin Zhu, Wilson Wong, Alfred M. Wu (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy), and Minqiang Zhu uncovers a surprising twist: while national governments head in opposite directions, local governments in both countries are converging on strikingly similar solutions. That convergence could open quieter, more practical channels for cooperation—right beneath the grand geopolitical drama.