Asia
China is key to understanding India’s dilemma over Ukraine
If India is to stand up to China, it needs its defence partnership with Russia. The West recognises this strategic dilemma mainly because India is aligned in balancing China in…
Asia’s space race: China leads India on strategy
China and India are historical space nations having invested in space since the 1960s. Both countries have viewed investments in space as part of their national development goals,…
Reading Southeast Asia on Ukraine
Southeast Asia doesn’t much matter to the outcome of a war far away in Europe. Yet Southeast Asian countries responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine offer an insight into the…
The Ukraine crisis and Timor-Leste
In the midst of an international crisis, it is remarkable when small countries still find the courage to adhere to their democratic principles. This time the Timorese government…
China needs to rethink its Russia policy
When the Chinese embassy in Ukraine hastily began the evacuation of its citizens much later than those of other nations, it seemed a sign that Beijing either wasn’t given advance…
Back in the USSR – surprises in the Russia-Ukraine conflict
My grandfather Kopel Harkowitz was born in Lismore, which is experiencing the worst floods in more than a century. In 1880, when the last big wet hit the Northern Rivers, his…
Australia and the crisis in Europe: threats and opportunities
Vladimir Putin’s ruthless bid to erase Ukraine’s nationhood and redraw the map in Europe is a direct attack on the foundations of the post-war rules-based order, from which…
Commentary
Myanmar question is forcing ASEAN to remake itself
Many fear that overt displays of disharmony will do long-term damage. Originally published in Nikkei Asia.
Australia begins to step it up in the northeast Indian Ocean
Australia’s focus on building the India relationship has led to the relative neglect of other important Indian Ocean states. This has left a hole in its Indo Pacific strategy.
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Is India’s row over hijabs about optics – or opportunity?
India, with a 200 million-strong population of Muslims, has never really had a firm tradition of people wearing hijabs, burqas or niqabs. But the biggest sectarian row in the…