Media
US distracted while Moscow and Beijing cosy up
The tense situation in US relations with Russia over the massing of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border and with China over an increasingly militarily threatened Taiwan confronts a domestically...
China now likely to call America’s bluff over Taiwan
The question no longer seems hypothetical. Last year the Prime Minister compared the dangers today to those of the late 1930s. This year Defence Minister Peter Dutton has repeatedly warned of the...
From the submarine to the ridiculous
BY HUGH WHITE The old plan was to build a conventionally powered version of a nuclearpowered French submarine. It was crazy. The new plan – to buy a nuclearpowered submarine instead – is worse. It...
Kashmir endures another year of utter despair
BY CLAUDE RAKISITS Two years ago, on 5 August 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir as a state (the only Muslim-majority one in India) and redesignated...
Does Australia have a ‘one China’, ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan’ policy – or all three?
BY CLIVE WILLIAMS Most Australians would be wondering how we can have a ‘one-China policy’ when Defence Minister Peter Dutton has warned that war with China over Taiwan can’t be ruled out. ‘Why is...
Afghanistan: China’s Critical Jigsaw Piece
BY CLAUDE RAKISITS Even before all American military staff have left Afghanistan, the security situation in the country has deteriorated very quickly, with the Taliban having taken about half of the...
Putin, Xi friendship ‘driven by their hatred for West’
BY EMERITUS PROF PAUL DIBB AM The final communique on Sunday of the Group of Seven summit expressed serious concerns about China’s and Russia’s destabilising behaviour and said the world’s most...
Uncle Sam Will Have to Change His Tune After November for Buy-in From Southeast Asia
BY HUNTER MARSTON Only weeks from the US presidential election on November 3, Southeast Asia sees an American electorate distracted by partisan divide, conspiracy theories, and culture wars. If...
A Review of 'Under Beijing’s Shadow: Southeast Asia's China Challenge' by Murray Hiebert
BY HUNTER MARSTON According to recent surveys of Southeast Asia, China is now the most influential strategic and political power in the region. Yet China’s rise has been so rapid and consequential...
Has Shinzo Abe left a lasting legacy?
Once again prime minister Shinzo Abe — the ultimate princeling of Japanese politics — has resigned because of declining poll numbers and ill health. In May, Abe’s approval ratings in national polls...
