Asia
How strong is Duterte the strongman?
The 2016 presidential race in the Philippines looked like the perfect time for Rodrigo Duterte to come to power. The country was coming off of Noynoy Aquino’s soft and ineffectual…
Thailand’s overcrowded prisons hit by Covid-19 surge
Thailand emerged from the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic as one of the best performing countries in the world in terms of minimising cases and deaths. But 2021 has been a…
Policy Briefs
Australia's South China Sea Challenges
Canberra needs to work with Southeast Asia to address looming South China Sea challenges from China and the US
Myanmar is not the next Syria
The deteriorating situation in Myanmar has led some observers to issue warnings of a “new Syria”. The two scenarios are not without broad similarities. In mid-April, civilians in…
South Korea’s green goals
Last year, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in launched a climate-change policy branded as a “Green New Deal” as part of a wider stimulus package for the country’s pandemic…
Podcasts
Lowy Institute Conversations: Linda Jaivin on her new book, The Shortest History of China
In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, Richard McGregor, Lowy Institute Senior Fellow, sits down with Linda Jaivin to discuss her new book, The Shortest History of China…
How Gaza occupies Indonesia’s identity wars
Indonesia’s public debate over the issue of Palestinian rights was reawakened by the latest violence, which claimed at least 243 lives in Gaza and 12 in Israel before an eventual…
PNG can’t turn a blind eye to the conflict next door
A video recently surfaced on social media in Papua New Guinea, featuring a group of about 20 men, gathered around their apparent leader, declaring war on Indonesia.
“People of…
“Flexible” is the new North Korea policy buzzword
South Korean President Moon Jae-in received a boost in his outreach to North Korea last week after talks with US President Joe Biden. Biden announced he would be open to a summit…
ASEAN’s huge gamble on Myanmar
It has been a month since the ASEAN Leaders met with Myanmar junta Leader Min Aung Hlaing on 24 April in Jakarta to discuss the situation in Myanmar. The meeting itself and the…