Launching Cold War 2.0 against a reluctant Beijing while enabling Israel to set fire to an entire region is now official American foreign policy. The premier journal Foreign Affairs is advertising big time about a coming essay by outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken – on “Biden’s Foreign Policy Legacy”, or in other words, Continue reading »
Asia
Japan’s new prime minister, Ishiba Shigeru, has called for an
Asian NATO. But salivating hawks should restrain the glee. Continue reading »
In an age of logic and evidence-based reasoning, modern research has revealed a thousand-year curse. It could be stopping the superstitious and spiritually-conscious Javanese from vigorously striving to return a thieved “emblem of Indonesian cultural heritage”. At first glance it’s a ridiculous assertion. But apart from a sudden surge of greed eroding goodwill, how else Continue reading »
In Asia media this week: Myanmar recalls retired veterans. Plus: Race starts for Japan’s new PM; US Gaza stance an obstacle for AUKUS; Kolkata protests over gruesome rape-murder; China-Africa summit strengthens South-South ties; Pope’s Indonesia visit contradicts ‘clash of civilisations’. Myanmar’s military junta is becoming more desperate and more brutal as it battles to retake Continue reading »
Eighty-seven-year-old Pope Francis’ trip to Indonesia, Papua-New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore shows he’s not slowing up. One thing you can say about Pope Francis is that he walks the walk, even if it’s in a wheelchair. The recent visit to Indonesia illustrates this. Eighty-seven percent of Indonesia’s population of 283 million is Muslim; 3.1% are Continue reading »
On 7 August, the Constitutional Court of Thailand dissolved the Move Forward Party on the basis of its attempts to amend the country’s lese majeste law, banning its executives from politics for a decade. Following the party’s dissolution, its members merged into the Thinkakhao Chaovilai Party and retitled it the People’s Party. Just a week Continue reading »
As civil war rages, Myanmar is the most fragmented it has been since 1949. Back then, the recently established post-colonial government was beset on all sides, its various detractors challenging its ideology and its composition. Now, some seven decades later, the ruling regime again has its back to the wall. The last time the government Continue reading »
On 22 August, China commemorated the 120th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s birth. The third Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China in 1978 marked the beginning of China’s reform and opening-up under the leadership of Deng. His reforms transformed China from one of the poorest countries to the world’s second-largest economy. China’s gross domestic Continue reading »
China has never expressed aggressive intentions towards Taiwan, it has repeatedly maintained it is prepared to wait, but will never rule out force to defend Taiwan Continue reading »
Australia and Indonesia are to have new defence cooperation agreement. A big deal for a government whose foreign policy is repeatedly trumped by defence; less of a deal for our northern neighbour which, like us, looks north for its prosperity and security. Continue reading »