Over Coffee #13: Ukraine and Southeast Asia updates

Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine continues, but it seems the Russians have been stalled. As sanctions from the West continue to impact Russia, Japan emerges as an unlikely partner, pledging to accept Ukrainian refugees and providing millions in humanitarian aid. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia debates to extend the term of office of the incumbent head of state, Joko Widodo. Cambodia also expects to conduct a visit to Myanmar.

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7 March 2022 0

Over Coffee #10: Indonesia and France ties, and Indo-Pacific updates

This week’s recap covers new developments in Indonesia’s “Papua strategy”, which has been predominantly militaristic in nature, and some good news on the development of Indonesia and France defence ties. There are also some updates on the Indo-Pacific.

I’m not actually trying any new brands of coffee this week. So far, I’ve been enjoying last week’s batch of wine-processed Gayo beans. Turns out I just needed to adjust the grind size and amount of water. Right now, I’m using a 16:1 ratio of water to coffee. While some might decry this as a travesty since it dilutes the coffee a bit too much, I find this is to be a tolerable ratio simply because the Gayo is just a tad too strong for my taste.

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11 February 2022 0

Over Coffee #8: Indonesia and Singapore ties, and some Myanmar updates

This week’s buzz is mostly over meeting between Joko Widodo and Lee Hsien Loong, which has been expected to propel bilateral ties further. And that it did, with the retreat (which was postponed for two years due to the pandemic) producing three major agreements. Other stories include Indonesia’s rising Omicron cases, naval hardware progress, and its plans for increasing health resilience as G20 chair. Then, there are some updates on the situation in Myanmar.

So, one of the good things about being a teacher is I sometimes get gifts from students who have graduated. This time, it’s Papua Wamena beans from Arvac, which has a distinctly bold (on the verge of being overpowering sometimes) character. It’s not too sweet, has a rich body (even when filtered) and there’s definitely a long lingering aftertaste. Definitely recommended if you like your coffee with some heft.

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28 January 2022 0

Over Coffee #7 – Indonesia’s new capital city, Philippines’ equipment, and ASEAN diplomacy

This week’s recap is about Indonesia’s new capital city, which is set to be christened “Nusantara”. Then, we move on to the Philippines acquiring new defense equipment along with the continued fallout of Hun Sen’s Myanmar visit.

Unfortunately, I haven’t acquired any new beans this week as I was busy relocating. Coffee recommendations will resume next week!

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20 January 2022 0

Over Coffee #6 – Indonesia and Myanmar updates

This week’s recap mostly covers updates happening in Indonesia and Myanmar. Indonesia’s delayed ratification of RCEP sheds some light on its bureaucratic inefficiencies, while its fluctuating coal export policies raise concerns of Indonesia’s commitment in transitioning to green energy. Indonesia also announces its free booster rollout amidst rising Omicron cases.

Coffee first as usual. I bought another batch of beans from 20mL, this time some Kintamani beans. Being Balinese, I pretty much grew up on this variant of coffee. But, I never thought I’d discover a sweet, berry-flavour with some hints of cloves Kintamani beans. It goes well with the Toraja beans I bought last week.

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13 January 2022 0

Over Coffee #5 – ASEAN coast guard cooperation, Indonesia’s Indo-Pacific strategy, and Myanmar updates

A Happy New Year to all of us!

It’s a rather slow week, which might be a good sign. However, regional politics waits for no one. This week, I highlight some incremental regional developments in Southeast Asia, which hopefully might blossom later in the year. There are also some updates on a regional approach to Myanmar.

Once again, coffee beans from 20mL take the spotlight, but instead of a blend, I decided to purchase some single-origin beans from Toraja. I’ve always had a soft spot for Toraja beans because I like the flavor profile. These beans are from Pulu-Pulu village, which I’ve never tried. Since they were single-origin, I decided to brew them using a V60. The result was a bright coffee with hints of spice and a mellow aftertaste. It was different than what I was accustomed to, but perhaps my previous Toraja beans were roasted too darkly.

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6 January 2022 0

Over Coffee #4 – German naval diplomacy and some other developments

The buzz this week is about German naval diplomacy, represented by the deployment of the frigate, Bayern, in the Indo-Pacific, showing Germany’s initial commitment in the Indo-Pacific. Plus, some minor updates on politics and defense in Southeast Asia.

Coffee first: I’m having a blast trying out different blends from 20mL. It’s quickly becoming my favorite which serves its own proprietary blend of beans (along with some single origin beans). My recommendation this week is the Caramello blend, which is a bolder version of the brighter Mochademia blend. Hints of dark chocolate are prevalent and I might have tasted some spices. If the Mochademia is like a Snickers bar, the Caramello is like eating a granola bar loaded with 84% dark chocolate.

As usual, I am not affiliated with any of these products.

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24 December 2021 0

Over Coffee #2 – Maritime security with a side of democracy

A recap of weekly events, from 1 December to 9 December, ideally discussed over some coffee. My recommendation this week is Smoking Barrel’s Dynamite house blend, which uses a mix of Brazil and Toba Aek Raja beans (newer batches replace the Brazil with Sindoro beans), resulting in a reasonably bright white coffee with hints of chocolate (this is not a sponsorship deal).

This week’s notable events includes ARNEX-2021, gray-zone strategy, and the opening of the Bali Democracy Forum.

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10 December 2021 0

Le’ Notes #34: In search of political legitimacy

This post discusses Weber’s and Alagappa’s theories of political legitimacy.

The centrepiece of any political system is legitimacy. Political leaders who do not possess legitimacy, well, are deemed unworthy of assuming any political authority. At the surface, it is simple to relate the two. A legitimate leader has authority; an illegitimate leader has no authority. However, what exactly is “legitimacy”? Where does it come from? What does it consist of? How can it be lost?

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21 May 2017 0