BRICS

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s prime minister, is known to be bold.Anwar’s decision to join BRICS, with Malaysia this week formally submitting its application, is in keeping with his…

Does democracy still matter in the ‘New Cold War’ between the US and China?

Robin Niblett, a former director of British think tank Chatham House, has published a new book that has received high praise from notables such as Hillary Clinton, Kevin Rudd and…

South Africa: Strange noises in the cabinet

President Cyril Ramaphosa and the African National Congress lost ground badly in South Africa’s June elections, declining to 40 per cent of the vote. The result has forced the ANC…

Malaysia: Pushing the chips in on neutrality

US-China competition resulting in economic and technological decoupling is motivating small and middle powers to create middle-ground alternatives. In that context, Malaysian…

Green transition: Supercharging a sustainable future for the Asia‑Pacific

The Asia-Pacific region, a beacon of economic growth, is projected to contribute an astonishing 60% to global GDP growth by 2024. At the heart of this region’s transformation is…

UN General Assembly: Snubs and fragmentation

The world’s premier annual rendezvous of diplomacy – the United Nations General Assembly – opens its 78th session in New York City tomorrow, the first fully in-person meeting…

Building bigger BRICS

The planned enlargement of the BRICS group has revived a long-standing debate on whether this grouping will remain just a talk-shop specialising in complaining about Western…

India’s hesitation as China pushes for BRICS expansion

With the latest BRICS summit kicking off today, much has been said about Russia’s announcement that Vladimir Putin will attend virtually, given South Africa’s obligation as a…