Joseph Rachman

Joseph Rachman is the writer of Foreign Policy’s weekly Southeast Asia Brief. He is a freelance journalist based in Jakarta.

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Articles by Joseph Rachman
The five leaders, all wearing dark business suits and ties, stand in a line with their arms crossed over each other, each holding the hands of the men two either side of him.
The five leaders, all wearing dark business suits and ties, stand in a line with their arms crossed over each other, each holding the hands of the men two either side of him.

The Fuel Crisis Is Testing ASEAN’s Limits

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
A group photo during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Retreat in Cebu City, Philippines, on Jan. 29.
A group photo during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Retreat in Cebu City, Philippines, on Jan. 29.

ASEAN’s Angry Summit

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
Ships mooring in the waters just outside Singapore on May 24, 2024.
Ships mooring in the waters just outside Singapore on May 24, 2024.

Why Indonesia Floated a Malacca Toll

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
A man holds flowers to mark Myanmar’s new year outside Insein Prison in Yangon, Myanmar, on April 17.
A man holds flowers to mark Myanmar’s new year outside Insein Prison in Yangon, Myanmar, on April 17.

Why the Junta Released Myanmar’s President

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Indonesian counterpart, Prabowo Subianto, at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 13.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Indonesian counterpart, Prabowo Subianto, at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 13.

Prabowo’s Russian Roulette

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
Farmers cut grass in a paddy field in the Naypyidaw region of Myanmar on March 27, 2025.
Farmers cut grass in a paddy field in the Naypyidaw region of Myanmar on March 27, 2025.

Southeast Asia’s Coming Food Crisis

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
Transport workers and activists take part in a protest as they stage a strike over surging fuel costs in Manila, Philippines, on March 27.
Transport workers and activists take part in a protest as they stage a strike over surging fuel costs in Manila, Philippines, on March 27.

Southeast Asia’s Energy Emergency Begins

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
A truck drives past a flag of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army raised on a welcome arch in Lashio, Myanmar, on April 9, 2025.
A truck drives past a flag of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army raised on a welcome arch in Lashio, Myanmar, on April 9, 2025.

Why China Is Stoking Division in Myanmar’s Anti-Junta Alliance

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
This handout photo released by the Royal Thai Navy shows smoke rising from the Thai bulk carrier Mayuree Naree near the Strait of Hormuz after an attack on March 11.
This handout photo released by the Royal Thai Navy shows smoke rising from the Thai bulk carrier Mayuree Naree near the Strait of Hormuz after an attack on March 11.

Price Hikes at the Pump Destabilize Southeast Asian Politics

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
Traffic in front of Baiyoke Tower II in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 14, 2025.
Traffic in front of Baiyoke Tower II in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 14, 2025.

How the Iran War Hurts Thailand and Singapore

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto gestures as he speaks to media on arrival from Egypt, where he attended the Gaza peace summit, at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 14, 2025.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto gestures as he speaks to media on arrival from Egypt, where he attended the Gaza peace summit, at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 14, 2025.

Prabowo’s Peacemaker Campaign Now Extends to Iran

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appears before lawmakers at the Senate in Manila, the Philippines, on Oct. 28, 2024.
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appears before lawmakers at the Senate in Manila, the Philippines, on Oct. 28, 2024.

Duterte Finally Faces ICC Reckoning for His ‘War on Drugs’

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at a meeting on Trump’s “Board of Peace” during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22.
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at a meeting on Trump’s “Board of Peace” during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22.

Why Indonesia Is All-In on Trump’s Board of Peace

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul arrives at the Government House in Bangkok on Feb. 9.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul arrives at the Government House in Bangkok on Feb. 9.

Why Thai Conservatives Just Won Big

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
Philippine Coast Guard personnel sail past a China Coast Guard vessel during a resupply mission to troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on March 5, 2024.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel sail past a China Coast Guard vessel during a resupply mission to troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on March 5, 2024.

The Philippines Brokers South China Sea Talks

Southeast Asia Brief
Joseph Rachman
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