Asia
What Russia wants in a multipolar world
Last week, Russia’s Ambassador to Australia, Alexei Pavlovsky, delivered a keynote address at the Australian National University on Russia’s strategic architect and former foreign…
Chart of the week: Australian versus Chinese aid in the Pacific
In the last two years China’s engagement in the Pacific – particularly through its aid program – has sparked alarm in Canberra. The spiking orange line in 2017 is part of the…
China, a low-productivity superpower
In the space of just a few decades, China has risen to the rank of a world power, and certainly an Asian regional power. And now China and the US have locked horns in a great…
Towards a peaceful and inclusive Asia
Small states are states too. They have their own agency, their own interests, and their own preferences, and it is important they do not see the world through the perspectives…
How Africa is breaking China’s neo-colonial shackles
If there’s any indication of how Africa is moving up on everyone’s agenda, look no further than the first edition of the Russia-Africa Summit, which saw 43 African heads of…
Messy is the new order: Succession time in Malaysia
If events go according to schedule, Malaysia is set for a leadership transition in 2020. Speaking to a Wall Street CEO conference immediately after the May 2018 election, the then…
With a UN Human Rights Council seat, Indonesia has a choice
Indonesia won a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council this month, elected for a 2020–22 term, having received the backing of 174 countries in a secret ballot, the most…
Soft power, hard weather: Japanese resilience
Typhoon Hagibis was the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan in decades. The storm’s ferocity was extraordinary, and the level of destruction immense. At least 78 people have been…
Victoria takes the initiative with China
I thought to myself, here’s Xi Jinping walking past, here’s a chance to ask him a question. But instead he just gave me a wan look and a bodyguard quickened a step to put himself…
Indonesia’s new cabinet and its human rights implications
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo this week announced his new cabinet – most notably appointing his rival at both the 2014 and 2019 elections and former military general…