West Asia
Hugh White's Middle East doesn't exist
I really enjoy reading Hugh White's work on regional security, but as a Middle East analyst, he makes a good China pundit.
While I agree with Hugh that these are troubled times…
Syria: West takes sides in sectarian war
In 1968 a US Army major said of the attack on Ben Tre that 'It became necessary to destroy the town to save it'.
Whatever the accuracy of the quote, it summed up well the popular…
Somaliland: Where sovereignty means something
Sarah Phillips, a Senior Lecturer at Sydney University, is in Somaliland conducting research. She is grateful to the Developmental Leadership Program for funding. All photos by…
Trailer: The Impossible Image
[vimeo:67115692]
Above, some footage from a new documentary called The Impossible Image, interspersed with commentary from photographer Richard Mosse, who took the unusual step…
Syria: It's the ground war, stupid
The Syrian civil war is a land battle. Comparisons with Libya and talk of no-fly zones (NFZ) as some kind of low-risk game changer ignore this fact. As the US Chairman of the…
Afghanistan's women: Patchy gains under threat
Susanne Schmeidl is co-founder of the Afghan NGO, The Liaison Office.
In 2009 Afghan President Hamid Karzai enacted, by presidential decree, a law on the Elimination of Violence…
Rouhani: The style/substance divide
Hassan Rouhani's first-round success in the Iranian elections has sent an strong message to the regime.
On the face of it, the process went well. Having ensured that the list of…
India links: Afghanistan, hipsters, US-China, economy, Modi, corruption and more
Danielle Rajendram is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program.
C Raja Mohan looks at what closer US-China relations would mean for India…
Nelson Mandela and South Africa: An extraordinary journey
Jonathan Pain is author of The Pain Report and has 29 years of international investment experience. He was born in South Africa and lived in Lesotho, Swaziland, England, Bahrain…
India links: Bollywood, Narendra Modi, Japan, naval build-up, Australia ties and more
Danielle Rajendram is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program.
India's Defence Minister, AK Antony, visited Australia this week, and…