Asia
Is the tide turning on classroom bans for Afghan girls?
For more than 500 days, the daughters of Afghanistan have been the only girls in the world to be systematically denied access to higher education – again. Global apathy is now…
Balloon goes up for Washington’s “decisive decade”
US President Joe Biden’s 2022 US National Security Strategy underscored the “decisive decade” ahead for Washington to advance vital interests and out-manoeuvre its competitors. A…
Reset in US–Philippines relations tells of yet another China fumble
The Philippines recently granted the United States access to four more military bases, reportedly including at least one strategic location facing Taiwan. It’s an…
Why North Korea is denying its involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine
In a case of history repeating itself, the Korean War is set to be revived. Not on the Korean Peninsula but in Eastern Europe. Both North Korea and South Korea are currently…
The Maldives: geopolitics of Chinese tourism
For the decade prior to Covid-19, China was the Maldives' biggest source of tourism. The pandemic changed all that, with arrivals dropping from 284,000 in 2019 to 34,000 in 2020…
Australia and Indonesia can lead a response to refugee crisis in the region
A rare ministerial meeting of the Bali Process in Adelaide on Friday is an opportunity for engagement, collaboration and leadership on a matter of urgent regional concern – the…
With caution and tact: How Asian countries voted on Ukraine at the UN
On 26 February last year, a few days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations issued a statement expressing “concern’’ over the “evolving…
What the China thaw means for Australia’s trade diversification agenda
The meeting this week between Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell and his Chinese counterpart Commerce Minister Wang Wentao represents more than just the next instalment in the…
China’s growth prospects after zero-Covid
China’s economy has had a tough time of late. The strict lockdowns associated with the earlier zero-Covid policy and Beijing’s subsequent messy reversal saw economic growth…
Commentary
Why Australia needs to own its strategic power
Australia will need to shape a region likely to be made up of a messy patchwork of coalitions, rather than a grand concert of powers. First published in the Australian…