Asia
New Zealand and fighting the nuclear threat: More effort required
The recent news that two-thirds of United Nations member states negotiated a treaty that bans nuclear weapons was undoubtedly met with enthusiasm in much of New Zealand, which…
Why Mahathir is at the centre of Malaysia’s opposition power play
Last week marked a milestone in Malaysian politics. After nearly a year of sometimes acrimonious negotiations, the opposition alliance, Pakatan Harapan (PH), finally announced its…
Indonesia’s new North Natuna Sea: What’s in a name?
On Friday, Indonesian officials announced that they had renamed the waters northeast of the Natuna Islands, at the far southern end of the South China Sea, the 'North Natuna Sea'…
China sees the West behind Liu Xiaobo
The reaction in China to the death of Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo last week is both surprising and illuminating. Surprising in that few in the West would have expected anger…
Jokowi’s bungled ban of Hizbut Tahrir
On 13 July, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) issued a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) which will allow the banning of the Islamist organisation Hizbut Tahrir…
Pakistan’s political turmoil
This week Pakistan's Supreme Court will hear arguments as to whether Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is corrupt. The country is in turmoil with its often febrile politics turned up to…
Australia’s shameful silence on Liu Xiaobo
Overnight, a Nobel laureate and former professor of literature died from complications of liver cancer. He had been imprisoned for more than eight years and appears not to have…
Malabar 17 exercise: The China subtext
The annual Malabar naval exercise series is underway in Chennai, with the at-sea phase in the Bay of Bengal running from 14-17 July. This year’s iteration is notable for a number…
The end of martial law: An important anniversary for Taiwan
Thirty years ago on 15 July, 1987, the president of Taiwan, Chiang Ching-kuo, son of Chiang Kai-shek, announced the end of the 'Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of…
Entering the North Korean re-entry debate
South Korean intelligence claims that the recent test of a North Korean ICBM possibly failed to produce a successful warhead re-entry.
The statement from Yi Wan-young (a member…