Voices From The Region

Reimagining Global Cooperation from Southeast Asia

The future of international cooperation will not be solely defined in the halls of Washington, Beijing, or Brussels. It will also be shaped in capitals such as Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, Hanoi, and Kuala Lumpur. Sitting at the intersection of many of the defining challenges of the era, Southeast Asia is home to more than 700 million people and a diverse milieu of political, economic, and cultural communities. The region has long navigated great power politics and competing strategic interests while confronting transboundary issues that increasingly require a regional response and multistakeholder solutions. Whether it is migration or climate adaptation or digital governance and supply chain resilience, Southeast Asia has accumulated a wealth of practical experience in managing the mounting complexities of an interconnected world. Yet despite the global centre of growth shifting towards Asia, Southeast Asian perspectives have all too often remained marginalised in discussions on the future of global governance.

Voices from the Region was conceived to elevate and provide a platform for Southeast Asian perspectives on the future of global cooperation. Through a series of virtual and in-person dialogues, Verve Research brought together voices from across government, diplomacy, academia, think tanks, international organisations, civil society, youth, and the private sector to explore how the region views the current state of global cooperation, the principles that should underpin it, and what ideas should guide its future.

The compendium is compiled and edited by Natalie Sambhi, Founder and Executive Director of Verve Research; Blake Berger, Deputy Director of Verve Research; and Sharon Seah, Principal Fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. Its fourteen chapters span four themes: multilateralism, political legitimacy and global order; geoeconomics and global value chains; climate, environment and rising inequality; and AI, tech and development. Contributors approach these questions from different national, professional, and sectoral perspectives. Together they offer a rich contribution to the global conversation on how international cooperation can evolve to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

This project was supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation Catalytic Capital through the Build the Shared Future initiative. Their commitment to broadening global conversations on cooperation made this work possible. We hope this volume encourages continued dialogue, not only about how global cooperation should respond to the challenges of today, but about who should help shape its future.

Chapter Authors

Section I: Multilateralism, Political Legitimacy and Global Order

Joel Ng, Multilateral, Regional, and Minilateral Frameworks and the Future of Cooperation

Drew Thompson, Sources of Southeast Asian Disorder and Disquiet: US-China Rivalry and the Trump Administration

Kasit Piromya, Reimagining Global Cooperation from Southeast Asia: Regional Humanitarian Challenges

Yongwook Ryu, Re-Writing the Social Contract?: Socio-Economic Stability, Political Legitimacy, and Regional Cooperation

Kasira Cheeppensook, Strategic Autonomy from a Southeast Asian Perspective: Quest in the Quagmire

Section II: Geoeconomics and Global Value Chains

Maria Monica Wihardja, From Neoliberal Crisis to Novel Thinking: Southeast Asia and the Next Global Order

Pao-Li Chang & Gerald Foong, Global Rules for Global Value Chains: An ASEAN Perspective

Section III: Climate, Environment, and Rising Inequality

Devika Iyer, MSMEs at the Frontline: Poverty, Inequality, and Climate Risk in Southeast Asia

Prapimphan Chiengkul, Critical Mineral Mining and Toxic Water Contamination: Reflections on Transnational Governance in a Time of Geopolitical Rivalry and Environmental Crises

Alistair Cook & S. Nanthini, Climate Action in Southeast Asia

Prapaporn Tivayanond Mongkhonvanit, Toward Responsive Sovereignty in Southeast Asia: Collaborative Trust and Transborder Governance in ASEAN

Alden Lee & Luo Xuhong, Reimagining Global Cooperation from Southeast Asia: A Youth Perspective

Section IV: AI, Tech and Devlopment

Elina Noor, Governing Digital Dominions

Zia Zaman, Context: Abundance in an Era of Penury