Southeast Asia is at the forefront of Asia Pacific geopolitics, with the US and China vying for influence. Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia have become BRICS ‘partner countries’. The Philippines has tilted towards the US since Bongbong Marcos took office, and regularly clashes with China to defend its maritime borders. Meanwhile, several ASEAN countries are developing a biometric cross-border ‘Schengen’ visa, but focused on tax, immigration and security concerns. This episodes features Aidan Mooney, senior intelligence analyst, and Adrian Poole-Robb, managing director for Asia Business Development, KCS Group Asia.

A special episode, in association with Mosaic, focused on the integrity of borders amid a volatile new ‘age of secession’. Mark Wheeler is co-CEO and co-founder of next-gen specialty insurer Mosaic Insurance. Dr Timothy Less is a senior advisor for geopolitics at Cambridge University’s Centre for Risk Studies, and previously worked in the British Diplomatic Service. The thawing out of frozen conflicts in the Balkans represents a ‘Canary in the Coal Mine’, Tim argues, for resurging great power competition and attempts to redraw borders globally. Link to Tim’s “Age of Secession” CIRSD article below.

https://www.cirsd.org/en/horizons/horizons-summer-2024--issue-no-27/the-new-age-of-secession

Infrastructure is on the frontline of so-called ‘grey zone’ tactics used by government-sponsored actors, including cyber-attacks that can be aimed at disruption, theft and corporate espionage, meaning businesses should be vigilant and resilient against the threats. Which is where AnotherDay comes in, as a Gallagher company and specialist crisis and risk management consultancy. Sneha Nichols‑Dawda is a cyber risk consultant at AnotherDay, with a background in cyber security, technology policy and governance, and was previously a researcher at defence and security think-tank The Royal United Services Institute. She has previously appeared in media such as Times Radio and Channel 4 News, providing insights into cyber security issues and events, and holds a Masters from the University of Sheffield in Global Security, and a Bachelors degree from Aberystwyth University in International Politics.