Blogs and blogging

 According to the latest Snowden documents, concerns regarding the maintenance of US offensive and defensive advantages in cyber capabilities have motivated NSA targeting of the Chinese IT and infrastructure company Huawei. Western financial sanctions in response to Moscow's annexation of the

Two on Taiwan: an opposition party releases a report showing an alarming military imbalance with China (thanks Malcolm), and John Mearsheimer argues that China's rise is really, really bad news for Taipei. Critics of politically appointed ambassadors assume that professional diplomats are uniformly

Is the Pentagon needlessly antagonising Congress over its 2014 budget? James Joyner thinks so. Meanwhile, David Edelstein argues that the proposed cuts to frontline strength represent an attempt by the Obama Administration to credibly underscore its unwillingness to engage in extensive military

How Iranian academic nuclear research may have flowed into military applications. Larry Summers on America's turn towards a 'Downton Abbey economy'. CFR's multimedia guide tracking international responses to the world's armed conflicts has been updated. The seven habits of an effective Indonesian

A counter to the 'hyperbolic' NY Times story about Australian spying on US law firms in Indonesia. President Obama draws a clear connection between California's troubles and climate change, announcing a federal aid package for drought stricken California.  Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott

Richard McGregor reviews a new book on the Snowden leaks: 'Snowden and this book illustrate more than just the reach of the Anglosphere’s national security state. The true story may be its remarkable resilience.' Indonesia names a warship after two men who bombed a Singapore office building in

It takes some skill to turn a story about the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan into wry, witty comedy without ever making light of the war itself, yet that's what the brilliant 2007 feature Charlie Wilson's War achieved, thanks in large part to Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance (strong language

McKinsey makes its 2014 China predictions. The Shanghai FTZ will be a damp squib, apparently. (Thanks Martine.) Asia's factories slowly going green. My colleague Rodger Shanahan on what the Syria conflict means for the Middle East's Shia. Prospect magazine lists 12 ideas that will define 2014.

Nice profile of Samsung, a company whose sales are equal to one-quarter of South Korea's economic output. The New Yorker charts the history of American intelligence agencies' spying on their own citizens. Walter Russell Mead on China's South-North Water Diversion Project, 'perhaps the largest and

Five ways Ahmadinejad destroyed Iran's economy. The US Congress is taking action to dissuade Turkey from finalising a missile deal with Beijing. 'In the space of 10 years, mobile phones and the Internet have changed African nations more significantly than any development since their independence

'The whole of the Middle East and North Africa (is) at risk of outbreaks of diseases once thought safely on the run.' When do states stick with the international institutions they have, despite their limitations, and when do they create new ones? Five myths about China: begins with 'China is well

India successfully launches a Mars probe. One is reminded of the 2003 Economist headline when China launched its first crewed space mission: 'Congratulations China! (So, no need for any more aid, then?)' Why Obama will let Iran enrich uranium. FT columnist Gideon Rachman reports on an audience he

Having interviewed author Todd Harrison, I promised to link to his new CSBA report on the Pentagon's budget outlook. Here's the report. Jo Chandler, short-listed for the inaugural Lowy Institute media award, is doing further sterling work in PNG, this time investigating betel nut consumption.

Prime Minister Abbott's remarks in Tarin Kot marking the end of Australia's Uruzgan province deployment. Germany joining the 'Five Eyes' intelligence-sharing club? Now that would be an unexpected outcome from the Snowden/Spiegel leaks. GQ interviews a former US drone pilot about his daily work. The

Brunei preparing to introduce Sharia law. (Thanks Malcolm.) Wonderful photo gallery featuring modern robots of every description. Google Ideas has launched a site called Digital Attack Map that tracks cyber-attacks through real-time info graphics. (Thanks Brendan.) What a new range of propaganda

Not an Onion headline: Azerbaijan released election results before voting had even started. (Thanks Fergus.) Are developing countries de-industrialising too early? Julia Gillard begins life at the Brookings Institution as a fellow in its Center for Universal Education. (Thanks Steph.) The world map

Dan Drezner says there's a good Tom Friedman column about Syria inside this really bad one. Another bout of brinkmanship from the US Senate. A government shutdown would be an expensive proposition. Chinese netizens watch the Middle East turmoil and see parallels with Tiananmen Square. An

Further evidence that advanced economies are contributing more to global growth while emerging economies slow. Global production of farmed fish now exceeds that of beef. (Thanks Alistair.) Advances in body armour represent a revolution in warfare. (Thanks Frank.) Solar decathlon: a University

Economic theory is dying, apparently. And Joe Studwell argues that modern economists don't read history. So what does that leave? Speaking of Studwell, on his blog he responded at length to Stephen Grenville's critique of his argument. 'U.S. strategy in Asia relies on the economic rejuvenation

Photos emerge of components that could be for China's first home-built aircraft carrier. Naval experts I'm talking to say there's too little to go on from these pictures alone. China sending 140 riot police to Liberia, all of them women. (Thanks Dirk.) A hacking group accused of being operated

The US Air Force lays out its Pacific pivot plans. The indefatigable Liam Fox goes to Manus Island to see what the locals think about the PNG Solution. Former federal Liberal MP Ross Cameron: 'European currency union was a dumb decision, fuelled by the misty-eyed vanity of the Left.' (Thanks

The release of methane from melting Arctic permafrost could cost the world $60 trillion, says the journal Nature. The entire global economy was worth $70 trillion in 2012. Economists are taught too little history. The ten most expensive cities in the world. You'll never guess no.1. The

US challenges abroad: Michael Fullilove's recent appearance on the Charlie Rose Show now online. 'Volatility is a central feature of the Chinese economy.' A China forecaster looks back at some of his biggest hits and misses.  The upside of down: thanks to climate change, arctic shipping is set

The new issue of Security Challenges is out, focusing on the 2013 Defence White Paper. Was Morsi's ouster a coup? Don't ask Wikipedia. Kornelius Purba in the Jakarta Post last week: 'To us, Australia is a nation that has little respect for Indonesia, while we do not believe that we deserve