Articles - Bridget Welsh

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.

The June by-elections and the politics of losing

June 21, 2016

The by-election results for Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar are in. Umno held onto their seats, and increased its majorities.

The WelshGE2015 Poll: Post-Election Insights on Voting in Singapore

May 17, 2016

In the past few weeks, two important publications have come out. Terence Lee and Kevin YL Tan have published Change in Voting: Singapore’s 2015 General Election and the special journal of Singapore’s GE in the Round Table edited by James Chin. These publications, featuring younger scholars and diverse views, will contribute to scholarly debate surrounding the gains made by the People’s Action Party (PAP) last September.