Asia
Eyes on India
The Shortest History of India, by John Zubrzycki. (Black Inc, 2022)Australia’s Pivot to India, by Andrew Charlton (Black Inc, 2023)With their compact coverage of broad subjects,…
The time has come for an Australia‑Indonesia military pact
Australia is lucky to have Indonesia as a close neighbour. It’s true that Jakarta is often prickly. Indonesia has never been benign and friendly like New Zealand (we couldn’t get…
Why Modi will go to Moscow
Indian foreign policy is playing at a consistent tempo. Just four days after being sworn in for a third term last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Italy attending the…
India’s plan for a world without cash
In recent years, India has become a major player in the digital payment space, outpacing its allies and rivals. In 2022, 46 per cent of real-time global digital transactions took…
Chandrababu Naidu: Modi’s coalition partner complements his global outlook
India’s 2024 general election resulted in a coalition government – the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party leading the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) but falling short…
Putin goes to Pyongyang: Should we be worried?
In Pyongyang last month Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a new strategic treaty with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.This was Putin’s first visit to Pyongyang in 24…
Pariah states and the Olympic Games
As the world eagerly anticipates the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the intersection of international politics and sport once again takes centre stage. The participation of so…
South Korea’s nuclear ambition holds a place in the national consciousness
Living in Seoul, you hear it often enough: “Korea was invaded more than a thousand times”. Depending on who you talk to, the number changes. I’ve personally heard “300”, the very…
With friends like these … Russia and North Korea partner up
“Comprehensive strategic partnership” has become diplomat-speak par excellence, a phrase that now accompanies canapes and the cocktail circuit as a “like-minded” cliché…
China’s spluttering growth engines
In cities and towns across China, up to 80 million properties sit vacant – the cumulative result of decades of overbuilding driven by speculative demand that is now…