Asia
Build a wall: Kim Jong‑un’s social revolution
Since coming to power in late 2011, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has celebrated more successful missile launches and nuclear tests than both his predecessors combined. Less noticed…
Will Modi charm again in Washington?
It seems like just a minute ago that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Australia, hugging his counterpart Anthony Albanese in front of a crowd of 20,000 ecstatic…
Acting East on the seas: India’s naval cooperation with ASEAN
In recent years, New Delhi has increasingly focused on expanding its strategic footprint in Southeast Asia. While key states have expressed impatience with India’s slow steps…
Does China wield excessive influence in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?
In recent days, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) – China’s answer to the World Bank and other multilateral development banks – has come under fire for being…
The importance of pride: supporting LGBTQ rights in Asia
I come from the Philippines and as a transgender woman in a predominantly Christian society, it is somehow a paradox that regardless how conservative and colonial our collective…
It’s time for South Korea to refocus on multilateral diplomacy
A “Global Pivotal State Contributing to Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity”. This is how the South Korean National Security Strategy published last week describes the country –…
Shangri-La: A missed chance for US–China dialogue
The speech by China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu’s at the latest Shangri-La Dialogue has caused a further stir in regional relations, with commentaries in China hailing Li for…
Russia’s ally Kazakhstan turns eyes to the West
Kazakhstan, Russia’s nominal ally in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), seeks to strengthen economic and political ties not only with the West, but also with…
East Asia’s low welfare spending model fails to tackle inequality
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, debates about East Asian miracle economies were centred on the secrets of their success. Unlike most industrialised nations, they managed to…
Why Prabowo Subianto is winning over young Indonesian voters in a three-way race
Polls won’t open in Indonesia’s mammoth presidential election until February next year, but the battlelines are firmly drawn. Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan will face off…