16 Oct 2024
Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship is a catalyst, not a panacea
Moving beyond regional deadlocks will take more than a single year.
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29 Aug 2024
China puts the squeeze on Myanmar’s Tatmadaw
Beijing’s approach to its troublesome neighbour belies claims that it has an innate mission to promote authoritarianism aboard. -
25 Jul 2024
Could BIMSTEC be the answer to the Myanmar question?
With a new charter and fresh ambition, a little-known regional organisation has as big summit coming up in September. -
12 Jul 2024
India’s “Act East” ambition must navigate Myanmar
A surprise ministerial appointment might hint at a new diplomatic initiative. -
11 Jul 2024
Regime collapse in Myanmar’s Rakhine
Ethnic armed organisations are inching their way towards the complete expulsion of junta forces in the state. -
11 Jun 2024
Myanmar’s war within a war: Informers and the trust deficit
In a country thick with spies and informers, suspicion can be crippling. History shows that confidence is hard to win back. -
20 May 2024
Myanmar: If sanctions aren’t the solution, what is?
The local population invariably pays the price for financial punishment of the regime. So better for the world to directly support communities instead. -
10 May 2024
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Myanmar talks likely driven by politics and money
This is not the first time the former Thai PM has showcased his supposed statesman qualities. -
8 Apr 2024
Myanmar: Julie Bishop an inspired choice as UN Special Envoy
She has status and networks, and comes from a country dedicated to peace and pragmatism. -
3 Apr 2024
How the Myanmar regime is surviving
Despite some major wins by insurgent groups, the junta remains strong due to its control of arms and air power. -
2 Apr 2024
Myanmar: The junta’s forced conscription of Rohingyas
The implications of this cynical act for people already oppressed could reverberate for neighbouring Bangladesh and across the region. -
13 Mar 2024
A ring-fence around the Rohingya can’t last – Australia’s policy needs to change
Seven years on, a temporary aid agenda is only extenuating the problem. -
12 Mar 2024
Myanmar: What the generals hear might not be what the world means
History holds lessons for the gap between perceptions and policies. -
28 Feb 2024
Could Myanmar become Beijing’s quagmire?
The imperative to protect Chinese victims of transnational crime has set off a chain reaction that could jeopardise Beijing’s longer-term objectives. -
22 Feb 2024
In defence of Aung San Suu Kyi
Many in Myanmar have condemned what they perceive as seriously flawed Western criticism of the Burmese ex-leader. -
8 Feb 2024
Myanmar and Australia: A partnership paved with good intentions
Australia’s rationale for engagement has long been a hope to moderate the excesses of the regime. It does not seem to have listened. -
17 Jan 2024
Three years on from the coup, what could help Myanmar’s opposition movement?
A range of practical measures could be taken. But the people of Myanmar seem destined to fend for themselves. -
13 Dec 2023
Crunch time on Rohingya refugees
By bolstering assistance to Bangladesh, Australia can avoid a new source of maritime arrivals. -
4 Dec 2023
Myanmar: The last days of the junta?
The rebels appear to hold all the initiative on the battlefield. -
22 Nov 2023
Why is Myanmar’s new deep-sea port such hot property?
An alternative route to the Strait of Malacca offers China, and others, a safer, faster and more efficient trade route. -
8 Nov 2023
Australia’s chance to show global leadership on Rohingya displacement
Honouring a pledge to be tough on borders without being “weak on humanity” will bolster Canberra’s aim of regional stability. -
7 Nov 2023
Myanmar: a new abnormal
From enforced remittances to escalating drug use, non-conflict factors reveal a war-ravaged country in civil decline. -
13 Oct 2023
Beware sensational claims about Myanmar’s security environment
Heavy on gossip, rumour and anecdote, too many stories about the junta-led country lack verifiable evidence. -
9 Oct 2023
In Myanmar, India should also engage the opposition
Close ties with the junta risk leaving Delhi off side. -
28 Sep 2023
The new Thai PM has his work cut out on Myanmar
After debuting at the UN General Assembly, the Thai PM must get to work on foreign policy issues, not least Myanmar. -
20 Sep 2023
How credible are the casualty figures coming out of Myanmar?
The public relations war being waged in the international arena is just as important as the war being fought on the ground. -
22 Aug 2023
Remember the Rohingya, for disease hasn’t forgotten them
After six years, supposedly temporary camps now resemble slums. How long can the world turn away? -
16 Aug 2023
The myth of military desperation in Myanmar
The junta’s favoured methods of arson and airstrikes continue to quash dissent, with no end in sight. -
10 Aug 2023
Are Western intelligence agencies “fuelling an armed rebellion” in Myanmar?
Espionage by its nature is difficult to prove – big claims should be judged carefully before leaping to conclusions. -
1 Aug 2023
In a meaningless gesture, Myanmar’s junta cuts Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence
The leaders of the deposed democratic government shouldn’t be in jail at all. -
18 Jul 2023
Has history left Aung San Suu Kyi behind?
She may be imprisoned and politically weakened, but the former leader of Myanmar remains a potent symbol of power. -
30 May 2023
Myanmar’s intelligence war: the battle of wits and wiles against the junta
In a country where spies and informers have been ever-present, the opposition has built its own intelligence apparatus. -
1 May 2023
Chinese spy bases on Myanmar’s Great Coco Island? Here we go again
A little history should help dampen some wild speculation about eavesdropping facilities in the Indian Ocean. -
5 Apr 2023
What of the Rohingya? The ICC, Ukraine, and limits of “international” justice
The International Criminal Court will always be seen as a selective tool unless states agree to decide cases on need. -
22 Mar 2023
Can ASEAN forge a political solution in Myanmar?
Indonesia and Australia have different but equally critical roles in bringing the junta to the negotiating table. -
1 Feb 2023
Australia’s Myanmar sanctions: now for the real decisions
Two years after the coup, there are still many reasons why Canberra is stepping cautiously with its punitive measures. -
7 Dec 2022
Australia could lead the way on Rohingya crisis
Canberra is well placed to broker a new deal for resettling the region’s most vulnerable refugees. -
15 Nov 2022
Refugees may become victims of Malaysia’s electoral politics
The plight of Myanmar Rohingyas exposes Southeast Asia’s disjointed policies and fragile human rights protections. -
8 Nov 2022
How China, India and Bangladesh could be drawn into Myanmar’s conflict
Rakhine state has become a de facto battleground for the competing interests of Beijing, Delhi and Dhaka. -
29 Sep 2022
Myanmar: a desperate junta trying, and failing, to shore up its legitimacy
Sentencing Sean Turnell to jail won’t help the Myanmar junta’s international isolation or its domestic problems. -
20 Sep 2022
The Rohingya issue requires a regional solution
Leaving close to a million people in limbo poses a danger not only for the refugees but to regional peace. -
22 Aug 2022
Blue economy may be the key to South Asia's upswing
Why governance, blue bonds and women are critical to a thriving ocean-based economy. -
2 Aug 2022
ASEAN governments need to act on Myanmar
The execution of four opposition activists by the junta needs urgent action from governments of all stripes. -
14 Apr 2022
The problem with postcards from Myanmar
Borders are opening to welcome back tourists. But it’s not just Covid that poses a risk. -
12 Apr 2022
How the Mekong River Commission ignores reality
Nothing is worth celebrating in how a once mighty wild river has been cruelly tamed. -
28 Feb 2022
Australia was quick to sanction Moscow. Why not Myanmar?
It was right to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But that’s different to military aggression much closer to home. -
23 Feb 2022
It’s a mistake to allow Myanmar’s junta to appear in Rohingya case
Accepting military representatives in the genocide defence serves to lend the coup an undeserved legitimacy. -
17 Feb 2022
Myanmar’s military numbers
Simply comparing the estimated number of combatants on the two sides is not a valid basis to assess combat capabilities. -
16 Feb 2022
Handle with care: China’s economic engagement in Myanmar
Beijing’s state-driven businesses have learned to adapt and adopt in the shadow of democratic openings and coups d’état. -
10 Feb 2022
Will Australia use its amended sanctions act against Myanmar?
Coordinated international pressure on the coup leaders is urgently needed to stave off a growing humanitarian crisis.