MANILA, Philippines - In this week's edition of #TalkThursday, Rappler talks to Senior Adviser and Chair for Southeast Asia Studies in the Center for Strategic and International Studies based in Washington DC, Ernest Bower.

Bower discusses the prospects for the Philippines in the changing global landscape-- the prospects for sustainability of 2012 growth rates, China's rising star and aggression, Japan's departure from its pacifist constitution, the ongoing territorial dispute between members of the ASEAN and China and the United States' shift in strategy with the "Asian Pivot." - Rappler.com