4 Mar 2019
Four reasons why China supports North Korea
China’s policy on the Korean peninsula is based on geopolitical calculus. Its support of North Korea will stay intact.
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4 Mar 2019
A certain boredom? Taking stock of democracy in 2019
The anger directed against liberal democratic institutions today is so rarely attached to any specific objectives. -
1 Mar 2019
India’s wobbly quest for fighter aircraft
Ambitions to increase India’s fighter squadrons face complications in local manufacturing, as well the role intended. -
1 Mar 2019
How Assad’s Tehran trip exposed political rifts in Iran
The visit by Syria’s Bashar al-Assad carried far deeper meaning in the tension between Iran’s hardliners and moderates. -
1 Mar 2019
Kim-Trump 2.0: three observations
Hanoi marks the moment when Washington learned to stop worrying about North Korea’s bomb. -
1 Mar 2019
Book review: Winners take all
Giridharadas reminds us that “win-win” is the motto elites live by. -
28 Feb 2019
Economic diplomacy: Development aid in the Belt & Road era
As the DFAT/Ausaid merger recedes in the rear vision mirror for Australia, China talks up scrutiny for bad projects. -
28 Feb 2019
The intrusion of domestic politics in Kashmir tensions
Past efforts to “de-hyphenate” India from Pakistan are giving way to very different leaders in changed circumstances. -
28 Feb 2019
Sovereignty for citizenship might help the Pacific
You can’t eat sovereignty, you can’t drink independence, and you can’t build a house in the middle of the ocean. -
27 Feb 2019
India-Pakistan: shadow dancing in the Himalayas
<p>Pakistan is learning what theorists call a “stability/instability paradox” in a nuclear standoff runs both ways.</p> -
27 Feb 2019
Pacific Links: earthquakes, cyclones, and single-use plastic
Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
27 Feb 2019
The 2019 Solomon Islands election: how will women fare?
In an unpredictable electoral environment, an enduring fact is women face higher entry barriers into politics than men. -
27 Feb 2019
Why North Korea – and Vietnam – can benefit from the Hanoi Summit
A more prosperous North Korea is a best case, as it is always harder to negotiate with someone who has nothing to lose. -
26 Feb 2019
Behind every mujahid there is a mujahidi
In Syria or Australia, childbearing or weapons-wielding, everyone’s contribution to violent jihad can be different. -
26 Feb 2019
The pressure to curb arms sales to Saudi Arabia
Australia is finally considering joining like-minded governments in ending military support to Saudi Arabia. -
26 Feb 2019
The gloom about Myanmar’s economy
Many problems can be sheeted home Aung San Suu Kyi – even if there are few critics willing to suggest alternatives. -
25 Feb 2019
Trump-Kim summit II: North Korea’s superficial modernisation
<p>Needing a bike to deliver medicines but having a TV in most households exemplifies the development paradox.</p> -
25 Feb 2019
Pakistan: the wrongheaded crowdfund for mega dams
Collecting donations is not the solution to the country’s woes, Pakistan’s duty-of-care is not absolved. -
25 Feb 2019
The movie moment: how the Oscars reflect the world around us
Oscar nominees are a window into current concerns and preoccupations: what strikes a chord and the issues of our time. -
25 Feb 2019
Paladin, Manus, and private security: a treacherous history
A huge contract going to a little-known company recalls the worrying precedent of unscrupulous private security firms. -
22 Feb 2019
Trouble in Munich: the transatlantic breakup
<p>Europe and America read from diverging scripts at the annual strategic confab, the Munich Security Conference.</p> -
22 Feb 2019
The botched Amazon deal and its importance for 2020 US elections
The Amazon case highlights tensions between the progressive young guns and moderate older guard in American politics. -
22 Feb 2019
The new Middle Eastern space race
<p>Israel’s mission to the moon is indicative of a trend where spaceflight in the Middle East is linked to politics.</p> -
22 Feb 2019
Indonesia: policy missing in talk of politics
The second presidential debate revealed that rural and infrastructure policies will remain largely the same. -
21 Feb 2019
How did the United Kingdom get itself into such a political mess?
The spectacle may be unedifying and cost of failure terrifying, but parliamentary democracy is still alive and kicking. -
21 Feb 2019
Pulwama terrorist attack: Modi under pressure
If India’s response is seen as weak, Modi risks his “strongman” reputation. Too strong, the risk might be nuclear war. -
21 Feb 2019
The tremendous impact of a US-China investment and technology war
The impending bifurcation of the world internet economy will disrupt many industries, companies and national economies. -
21 Feb 2019
China cabinet: the not-so-secret hack, plus the enemy of Freeman
The strange reluctance to call out a “sophisticated state actor”, and Xi Jinping Thought now policed via a mobile app. -
20 Feb 2019
Courting change in Malaysia
A combination of progress and hesitation is evident under Malaysia’s new rule, amid fear political turmoil will drag on. -
20 Feb 2019
Responding to cyber attacks: resilience and transparency is key
Yes, Australia’s security was tested, but keeping it secret won’t help the public accept inevitable dangers to networks. -
20 Feb 2019
Demystifying Kashmir
The readiness of India and Pakistan to hurl accusations – and maybe worse – ignores injustice and poverty on the ground. -
20 Feb 2019
Aid links: calls for Australia first, the upside of dengue, more
Why refugees cutting down trees has led to strife in Uganda, plus more stories from the aid and development sector. -
20 Feb 2019
India: another five years of Modi?
The tea-seller turned prime minister may see another term in office despite lacklustre domestic and foreign policy. -
19 Feb 2019
Repatriating female foreign fighters: political not personal
<p>Many foreign women who join ISIS were not duped or coerced. It is time to recognise Shamima Begum’s agency.</p> -
19 Feb 2019
Polls apart: how Australian views have changed on “boat people”
Charged atmospherics over border security has plenty guessing about public attitudes, but the numbers tell a story, too. -
19 Feb 2019
Indonesia’s domestically focused foreign policy
It is unlikely that Indonesia’s seat on the Security Council will see it take a stance on foreign policy issues. -
18 Feb 2019
Indonesia’s election debates: there’s substance in the style
The televised debates bring the campaign to a country that has only been practising democracy for 20 years. -
18 Feb 2019
Pulwama attack: more questions than answers
India’s retaliation against Pakistan is predictable, and not at all effective in tackling sources of Kashmir’s strife. -
18 Feb 2019
One casualty of Jolo bombing: Indonesian-Philippine trust
The eagerness to blame Indonesians for the cathedral attack sets back regional cooperation, exactly when most needed. -
18 Feb 2019
Mark Zuckerberg and the revolt of the public
The social media network is a battleground in a sociopolitical conflict, prompting fractures and heresies within elites. -
15 Feb 2019
The legacy of nationalism in Korea
The seeds sown 100 years ago have resulted in the freedoms enjoyed in South Korea by over 50 million people today. -
15 Feb 2019
A rising China and the future of the “Blue Pacific”
China’s growing economic and political strength globally brings both challenges and opportunities for the Pacific. -
15 Feb 2019
In the Philippines, activists increasingly face a “living hell”
Victims of “red tagging,” or the false branding of activists as communist insurgents, can be fatal in the Philippines. -
14 Feb 2019
Spats in the straits between Malaysia and Singapore
The diplomatic tit-for-tat between the two neighbours for the territorial claim of the waterway has a long history. -
14 Feb 2019
The curious case of aid concentration in Papua New Guinea
The extreme concentration of aid from Australia to PNG stands out. It may be time for others to get involved. -
14 Feb 2019
Economic diplomacy: trade ground shifts despite US-China row
Alarm is growing the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism may soon suffer the same credibility loss as its deal-making. -
14 Feb 2019
The barely-noticed momentous change to Australian foreign policy
A seemingly minor move on Venezuela has potential ramifications for every country Australia has diplomatic ties with. -
13 Feb 2019
Unrest in India as it prepares for the world’s biggest election
Unemployment woes, unhappy farmers, and new faces in the game see Modi turn on his populist charm in an attempt to woo. -
13 Feb 2019
The long tail of the al-Araibi case
A case where Bahrain didn’t need to win to send a chill of horror up the spines of other dissidents watching on. -
13 Feb 2019
Pacific Links: logging paradox, erupted islands, more
Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region.