Asia
India faces a jobless growth problem
New Delhi’s “Make in India” agenda has undoubtedly attracted leading global players who may once have thought India not worth the effort. Companies including Samsung, Hyundai…
Modi’s Moscow miscalculation
Narendra Modi’s recent summit with Vladimir Putin was met with understandable outrage. Pictures of the Indian Prime Minister bearhugging the Russian President and receiving Russia…
Vietnam’s recent challenges shouldn’t deter savvy investors
Investors looking at Vietnam know that the risks are higher than in developed countries. The key question is whether investments will generate higher risk-adjusted returns. While…
China-Taiwan, and a Vatican conversion
For close to eight decades, the Vatican has maintained formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Despite according de-facto recognition to the People’s Republic of China…
Diplomacy at a funeral
The helicopter crash that killed Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi came almost two years after Japan’s former prime minister Abe Shinzō was gunned down on the election campaign…
Political upheaval in Vietnam is holding its economy back
Vietnam in many ways seems the belle of the ball in Southeast Asia. Economically it has been amongst the top beneficiaries as multinational firms and supply chains look to…
Putin’s diplomacy roadshow in North Korea and Vietnam
North Korea’s decision to revive a 1961 alliance treaty with Russia during President Vladimir Putin’s visit in June is probably the country’s most remarkable diplomatic feat…
Eyes on India
The Shortest History of India, by John Zubrzycki. (Black Inc, 2022)Australia’s Pivot to India, by Andrew Charlton (Black Inc, 2023)With their compact coverage of broad subjects,…
The time has come for an Australia‑Indonesia military pact
Australia is lucky to have Indonesia as a close neighbour. It’s true that Jakarta is often prickly. Indonesia has never been benign and friendly like New Zealand (we couldn’t get…
Why Modi will go to Moscow
Indian foreign policy is playing at a consistent tempo. Just four days after being sworn in for a third term last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Italy attending the…