Asia
“Amplify their voice”: Promoting gender equity in Asia and the Pacific
Imagine the world of 2323, three centuries hence. A time when gender equity is finally achieved around the globe, according to the latest estimates of the current rate of progress…
Getting India right
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to India this week comes at a pivotal moment for Australia’s ties with that country. Over the past 15 years, the two have overcome decades…
Commentary
Balance of power in Asia now shifting away from China
Originally published in The Australian.
Mekong River: Work has begun on the Luang Prabang Dam site
The Luang Prabang Dam – one of three new dam sites currently slated for construction in Laos – has been a target of sharp criticism. Situated along the stretch of the Mekong River…
Commentary
Are Australia’s neighbours ready for AUKUS?
The AUKUS fallout has not prevented positive momentum in Australia’s relations with South-East Asia, yet regional concerns still lurk below the surface, and Canberra needs to…
Russia, Ukraine and the wars of the Soviet succession
Nearly one year since the Russian invasion, no end is in sight to the war in Ukraine. It’s become a conflict of grinding, static attrition, largely due to the constraints on…
North Korea remains a hermit even as food runs short
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is urging stronger efforts to improve the country’s escalating food crisis, while showing no interest in accepting external aid. Instead, the…
How will voters swing in Indonesia’s 2024 general elections?
Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, is set to hold its next general election on 14 February 2024. The poll will decide the country’s president, vice president, People…
Malaysia’s Anwar steps out abroad to bolster his standing at home
Nearing the hundred-day mark of his tenure, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is emerging as one of Southeast Asia’s leading statesmen – one whose voice could help move the…
What recent changes at the top mean for Vietnam
Within the span of the last few weeks, a series of major high-level personnel changes have taken place inside the Vietnamese government. On 5 January, deputy prime ministers Pham…