Southeast Asia is full of problems like any other region, but the similarity of some problems to those in other parts of the world are somewhat surprising. The Governments have corruption and scandals looped into the bases of their systems, social and political issues dominate the news, and the relationships of major powers in the middle east still cause massive amounts of disruption in the world.
Ordinarily a dead subject, Pakistani music has erupted in the news as part of a social movement throughout the country. Musicians are taking a stand against sexual assault in their industry and bringing the public’s eyes to light. The industry is know for harboring men and encouraging them to discriminate and abuse women. Leaders such as Saif Samejo, are taking a stand against said men. This is a big step as it reflects the actions taken in the western hemisphere and India. This could be good for Pakistan from an international perspective, because the more alike two state’s identities, the better those states cooperate. This could be a step away from Pakistans surrounding countries in the Middle East who are unstable, that view women as subordinate. This could mean better economic ties with countries that do not support corrupt Middle Eastern countries, such as the US. Therefor the global trade market would prosper from this action. This is taking a more Liberal and Constructivist approach to the situation as apposed to a Realist approach.
Similarly to in Pakistan, Iranian women, who are generally discriminated against, are taking a stand for their rights and freedoms in a peaceful way. Iranian women were recently let into a soccer game for the first time. Previously soccer was deemed bad for women to be around and inappropriate. 300 seats were reserved for women in the Asians League championship game. Although Japan won the game, the real winners were the Iranian women, who though peaceful protest outside games throughout the season, were able to break through the norms of society creating hope for generations of women to come. Iran has been a threat to major powers such as the US and their middle eastern allies, and with this change in identity, could help ease tensions between Iran and its rivals. The US recently put more sanctions on the Iranian government and by doing so, broke the Iranian Nuclear Deal. This poses a great question to the world and governments of the two countries: what will happen next? With these new sanctions being levied, the price of Iranian oil will sky-rocket theoretically. However, Iran has taken a two front approach to this problem. To prevent the price of oil going up, Iran is finding new routs to its buyers through land rather than by sea. This involves realist ideals. The second is internal improvements to change national interest. An example being the improvement of the rights of women. By doing so, they are changing national identity and becoming more like democratic nations such as the US, taking a Constructivist approach.