Asia
How China sees its conflict with the Philippines
Tensions are high again in the South China Sea. While Beijing attempts to tighten its grip on the region with a new ten-dash line, a multi-billion dollar military modernisation…
The Camp David Agreement’s shallow foundations
On 18 August at Camp David, Japan, the United States and South Korea optimistically hailed “a new era of trilateral partnership”. Korean domestic politics and the vexed history of…
How credible are the casualty figures coming out of Myanmar?
Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems…
Commentary
AUKUS brings more than nuclear submarines to Southeast Asia
Originally published in East Asia Forum. The AUKUS agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia significantly shifts Australia’s defence strategy and…
No neutrality in espionage: Why is Malaysia tangled up in a spying case in Norway?
News reports emerged last week that the Norwegian authorities had recently detained a man identified as a Malaysian citizen in Oslo for alleged espionage. It was confirmed that…
Pakistan at a crossroads on blasphemy
On 16 August, an enraged mob vandalised and set alight multiple churches and attacked the homes of members of a minority Christian community following an alleged incident of…
Seychelles: Washington comes calling
The United States has announced it is reopening its embassy in Seychelles. The mission, opened at independence in 1976, was closed as a cost cutting measure in 1996 coincident…
Testimonial therapy: Buddhism’s influence in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge tribunal
At the courtroom premises, robed monks gathered to chant. Candlelight cast a gentle glow as tendrils of incense wafted through the air, creating a sacred atmosphere as sunlight…
North Korea undeterred – to Putin’s pleasure
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin pledged to stand together against “imperialism” after meeting on Wednesday, their first face-to-face summit in four years…
Beijing’s plan for Taiwan challenges its offshore wind push
Military considerations are slowing China’s offshore wind energy deployment. The coastal province of Fujian, just opposite Taiwan, is critical to the Chinese People’s Liberation…