Asia
Bali 2002: When global terrorism first came close to home
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost twenty years since the night of 12 October 2002. The deadly impact of extremism will always be with the survivors and those who lost…
Why Indonesia’s engagement with Pacific countries matters
Last week, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi wrapped up a brief official visit to Fiji and Solomon Islands. On her agenda, apart from the usual high-level bilateral…
Twenty years after Bali
Over summer in Australia we’re featuring selected articles from the past year. This was originally published 14 September 2022.
The horrified reaction of many Australians…
Has Southeast Asia warmed to AUKUS one year on?
When Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States announced the AUKUS trilateral security cooperation agreement a year ago, it didn’t get a uniformly positive reception in…
The Quad needs a stronger economic message
The Quad has declared itself “a force for good”. At a summit in Tokyo in May, the leaders of Japan, the United States, Australia and India pledged to bring tangible benefits to…
Commentary
For pirate captain Xi Jinping, party congress will be a coronation
What does ‘Pirates of the Carribean’ have to do with the CCP? Under President Xi, the party’s rules have turned out to be guidelines which he can follow, or dispense with, as the…
Powerhouse: clean energy transitions in the Indo-Pacific
With a global energy crisis underway due to rising prices, coupled with a forecast of a harsh northern hemisphere winter and supply volatility brought on by the Russia–Ukraine war…
US-China rivalry in Southeast Asia need not be a zero-sum game
Is Southeast Asia solely an arena of competition in which only either the United States or China can win? Or could it be an arena of cooperation that concurrently benefits all…
The SCO: an illiberal club of growing global significance
The 22nd leaders’ summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, to be held on 15–16 September, will be the first in-person gathering of the central Asian grouping since 2019…