Cambodia’s election: where the numbers lie
Strings of numbers that appear in social media comments are portentous in Cambodia’s stifled political climate.
The Sabah question
The Philippines and Malaysia are sparring over territory as Manila looks at a change to country’s constitution.
POTUS does a Putin
When a US president’s policies are indistinguishable from the KGB heirs’, the world is indeed turned upside down.
Egypt’s new media law is ahead of the curve
The regime has unabashedly claimed that what is up is down and what is black is white.
Trump and the rebirth of satire
When Nazis proudly march in America’s southern cities, do we really need comedians to point out how bad people can be?
Laos dam collapse and stress on the Mekong
The dam collapse in Laos once again focuses attention on the massive expansion of hydropower in the Mekong Basin.
Pacific links: betel nut danger, Nauru mine, more
China’s “Peace Ark” sails to Vanuatu and other stories from the Pacific Islands region.
The future of work
“Zero-sum competition”, “distributional”, and “gig” jobs are what most of us can look forward to.
Facebook and Vietnam’s new cybersecurity law
The social media platform is an American commercial legacy, adapted by locals for politics, and now mistrusted.
Seeing is believing: Pyongyang has kept a promise
Satellite images show North Korea is indeed dismantling its rocket engine test site as was pledged in Singapore.
Trade: the US should be isolated, not accommodated
Donald Trump has consistently implemented his threats around “unfair trade” – and the best thing to do would be nothing.
India: a “major power” still below its potential
Despite ranking fourth in the Asia Power Index, to leap the gap, India may need to rethink the “cost” of alignment.
Chinese chimera: the real concern with the BRI
Beneficiaries should be wary of the gap between Beijing’s rhetorical promises and the reality of its investments.
The US shadow over India’s Iran policy
Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran has created a test for New Delhi’s relations with Tehran.
Taiwan and Australia’s refugee treatment deal
The Taiwanese have expressed mixed attitudes towards arrangements for the medical treatment of asylum seekers on Nauru.
A travel notebook to Marawi City
A heady mix of suffering and desperation has left the Philippines’ city even more vulnerable following the brutal siege.
Russia’s disinformation game in Southeast Asia
Russian arms sales get all the attention, but Moscow’s campaign to undermine trust is a real threat in the region.
Weekend catch-up: Trump Putin on a show, more
Statelessness, Global Britain, and Indian demographics: the week that was on The Interpreter.
Xi Jinping, Senegal, and China’s West Africa drive
Beijing is seeking to consolidate influence in a historically French-dominated region.
A blueprint for India–Australia economic relations
The strategic convergence between the countries is not matched by strong economic and commercial relations.
The many voices of Hong Kong
Chief Executive Carrie Lam has backed down from a disparaging and hostile stance towards using English.
Myanmar’s fourth estate
The trial of two Reuters reporters is a sign of a withering local press and the rise of social media rumourmongering.
Economic diplomacy brief: India ties, Labor on BRI
Infrastructure wars in Asia, a Japan-Europe deal, and the Varghese India report got a surprisingly low-profile launch.
“Poor old” China meets “poor young” Africa
Population ageing in China opens a new window for African development – and the wider world should pay attention, too.
North Korea also an intelligence test for Trump
Pyongyang, always keen observers, are seeking to bypass the US bureaucrats and appeal directly to Donald Trump.
What has gone wrong in Cambodia?
In 1993 the international community allowed Hun Sen to remain the dominant political force, as he still is today.
India’s demographic timebomb
Without a manufacturing base to provide mass employment, the country faces potholes on its growth journey.
The Grey List: more trouble for Pakistan’s economy
Lax financial regulation sees Pakistan sanctioned, and also potentially reveal secret details of China’s mega projects.
Aid links: an escape from the resource curse, more
Aid and the Thai cave rescue, postcards and rice, and a round-up of stories from the aid and development sector.
Keep calm and carry on: a message to Trump critics
With two-and-a-half years still to go in Trump’s first term, this level of outrage just cannot be maintained.
Indo-Pacific: are the British coming back?
Budget black holes and Russia’s growing naval truculence will test the ambition of the Royal Navy to act in Asia.
Trump-Putin: beyond election meddling
The Helsinki Summit was judged as a spectacle, far more than on what the talks were supposed to deliver.
The President, his partners, and Putin
If America’s allies in Europe were ever in doubt, now they know: the President is a US-only leader.
Koreas, gas pipelines, and Russia’s ties that bind
Kim Jong-un’s summit with Donald Trump captured attention, but on the Korean Peninsula, many convoluted ploys are afoot.
Australia and India: different worlds
Australia wants India to support its “rules based order”, but does New Delhi want the same rules?
Thai cave rescue: no country for Wild Boars
Attention has turned to the “stateless” problem of three of the boys, their coach, and maybe 3 million more in Thailand.
Indonesian tourism booms, Australia misses out
Despite high visa compliance rates among Indonesians, Australian policies discourage them from holidaying down under.
Turkey must be thinking of the Bomb
While NATO wobbles and strongmen prosper, a newly authoritarian Turkey might turn towards nuclear options.
Why India is buying the world’s emptiest airport
Geopolitical rivalry between big powers sometimes yields odd results.
Weekend catch-up: Trump–Putin rendezvous and more
ASIO and DFAT talk China, Mohammad bin Salman’s reforms and Japanese floods: the week that was on The Interpreter.
Japan floods a warning for a changed climate
Failure to radically cut global carbon emissions will mean disasters such as that in Japan will become the new normal.
Polio in PNG: a menace resurfaces
A mass immunisation campaign is needed, and a dedicated effort to lift dismal health standards in the country.
Short-term capital flows to emerging economies
Surges and retreats of foreign capital flows pose a question: how could they be made less volatile and more beneficial?
Why Japan is supporting Cambodia’s election
Despite Western concern the ballot will be neither free or fair, Tokyo is seeking to counter China’s influence.
Aid and the new face of entrepreneurship
Backing local entrepreneurs helps redefine the assumption that informal-sector employment is fundamentally precarious.
Reform in Saudi Arabia: will MbS squib it?
Saudi Arabia’s young tyro is trying to keep up with citizens who are demanding a lot more of their rulers and system.
Tit-for-tat-for-tit-for-tat
In his trade war, Donald Trump’s maximum pressure tactics look likely to prove highly counterproductive.
High anxiety: Donald Trump’s summits
The summit with Putin reflects an ongoing US strategic failure to learn to think how Moscow thinks.
Cambodia: dispelling the Malaysia illusion
No stunning surprises will be allowed in Hun Sen’s drive to remain as prime minister.
China’s expanding navy
The PLA-N is growing rapidly, raising problems for personnel and the integration of new capabilities into the service.