Asia
Quality over quantity: Indonesia’s education challenge
Two enduring ideological themes have informed Indonesian education policy almost since the Repulic was founded. The first has been an “education for all” approach, and the second…
Elections in Thailand, maybe, but still in the middle of a muddle
This is meant to be the year that Thailand’s junta finally rolls out elections, but already the government has been backtracking, plagued by one corruption scandal after the…
The danger of might without power
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that the Pentagon is “considering plans to send heavily armed, versatile Marine Corps Expeditionary Units to East…
Shrugging Indonesia’s inferiority complex
Under President Joko (Jokowi) Widodo, Indonesia has been accused of lacking a coherent foreign policy, particularly when compared to the overtly internationalist outlook of…
Philippine troops to China?
Imagine this. China builds a military base on the Australian continental shelf off, say, Cairns. Then, according to the Australian prime minister, China threatens a military…
Digital Asia links: internet cafe camping, a stink over Winnie the Pooh in China, and more
To the dismay of privacy activists everywhere, Apple has announced it will store its Chinese users’ iCloud accounts in a new Chinese data centre at the end of February, in…
Improving education quality in Indonesia is no easy task
In September, Indonesia’s Ministry for Research, Technology and Higher Education suspended Jakarta State University (UNJ) rector Professor Djaali after a ministry…
Echoes of Mao as Xi Jinping ends term limits
Has Xi Jinping just made himself president for life?
The announcement on Sunday that China will amend its state constitution to remove the two-term limit for the presidency has…
The Belt and Road to nowhere: China’s incoherent aid in Papua New Guinea
This article is based on Episode 18 of the Little Red Podcast, featuring Walkley Award–winning journalist Jo Chandler and Louisa Lim of Melbourne University.
At the tail end of…
India’s rivalry with China, from the mountains to the sea
The Doklam border stand-off between India, China, and India’s ally Bhutan managed to break into the news cycle last year. It was a significant dispute, with troops clashing…