Articles - Bridget Welsh

Pakatan Harapan’s vulnerabilities in the states

June 26, 2018

In the weeks following GE14, the focus has centred on developments at the national level, as Malaysians wait for a full cabinet and watch the new Pakatan Harapan government set in place its initial policies.

Tainted love in Umno’s polls

June 18, 2018

Umno heads to its party elections at the end of the month. Nominations are in and a real contest is taking shape. This is a contest not just about the future of Umno but for the future of Malaysia. Despite being decimated in the May 9 elections, Umno continues to hold onto the support of at least a third of the Malay electorate and its actions in opposition will affect the country’s political direction.

A new coalition politics? Harapan gov’t one month on

June 9, 2018

Today marks one month after the historic GE14. It is early days yet for the new Pakatan Harapan government with only a core minimalist cabinet in place. Yet, in the past month, there have been important messages that illustrate a commitment to a genuinely different form of governance.

Trends in Soft Power in East Asia: Distance, Diversity and Drivers

April 3, 2017

Kai-Ping Huang and Bridget Welsh discuss trends in soft power for Global Asia’s In Focus section, themed “Battle for Influence: Perceptions in Asia of China and the US”. The battle for soft-power supremacy among Great Powers in East Asia holds some surprises as China’s influence is not gaining in ways commensurate with

Launch of “The End of UMNO?: Essays on Malaysia’s dominant party”

October 25, 2016

Reviews and comments on the book, “The End of UMNO?: Essays on Malaysia’s dominant party” ─ a collection of essays written together with John Funston, Clive Kessler, James Chin.

A Tuesday night in Istanbul

July 1, 2016

Most journeys begin with a sense of expectation of arrival at the destination, but last Tuesday – as terror struck Istanbul’s Ataturk airport – the experience was one of rising above expectations. As the world rightly condemns the use of violence against innocent civilians, there is a tendency to overlook the ordinary humanity and heroism that is often present in crises. I witnessed this first hand at Ataturk airport this week.