Wanted: Yingluck
The requested extradition of Thailand’s former prime minister warns of trouble ahead for free and fair elections.
Idols in South Korea and Japan
A reality TV contest for pop music contestants from South Korea and Japan has an undertone of national competition, too.
Weekend catch-up: duelling infrastructure and more
Prime Minister Imran Khan, trans-Tasman squabbles, and mob lynchings in India: the week that was on The Interpreter.
An emerging Indo-Pacific infrastructure strategy
The outlines of a potentially promising four-pronged approach to the region’s infrastructure needs can be discerned.
Can the Fed resist Trump’s pressure?
The Federal Reserve faces a president from the world of real estate, where low interest rates are always good.
South Korea’s first “human rights president”
Moon Jae-in’s unwillingness to speak up for the vulnerable is disappointing, given his record on human rights.
Drones, clones, and camera phones
How the use of surveillance technology balances civil liberties and public safety depends on the government in charge.
Economic diplomacy brief: infrastructure and trade
US–Japan–Australia infrastructure cooperation, ADB circumspect about China’s BRI, and more.
India: don’t blame WhatsApp for the lynch mobs
In a climate of hate, vigilantism has been allowed to run amok, and the perpetrators of violence enjoy impunity.
ASEAN might not be the way
Several Southeast Asian nations fall short of adhering to a “rules-based order” and may not be the hedge against China.
China’s “rule of law in international relations”
No one is much paying heed but understanding this concept might be key to comprehending a China-led international order.
Aid links: dealing with data deluge, more
Fighting pessimism, measuring success, and other stories from the aid and development sector.
NZ and Australia: Big Brothers or Distant Cousins?
New Zealand needs to stamp an identity on its new Pacific policy.
Against female genital mutilation in India
A petition campaign has sparked debate on a cruel practice too long ignored in India’s Dawoodi Bohra community.
Managing the release of convicted terrorists
Australia is trialling new rehabilitation programs that balance the rights of convicted terrorists with public safety.
The new US–Japan–Australia infrastructure fund
Without significant resources, the initiative risks looking like an attempt to challenge China, and falling short.
When friends disagree: New Zealand and Australia
While New Zealand’s Prime Minister has been on leave, a new chapter in trans-Tasman relations has begun.
Sri Lanka failing on human rights
A new UN report on protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country makes for depressing reading.
Perspectives on “rules-based international order”
Three fault lines – nostalgia, challengers, and alternatives – seem to divide views on the global politics catchcry.
Julie Bishop’s new Timor-Leste chapter
Tension remains between Australia and its neighbour despite the minister’s optimistic words.
BRICS and mortar
Against a backdrop of instability, BRICS is gaining currency and, potentially, influence.
Imran Khan as Pakistan’s Prime Minister elect
Seen either as an outsider or a military puppet, the former cricket hero will lead a country in crisis.
North Korea: repatriating fallen Americans
Hopes are high of returning home the long-lost war dead, but commemoration and remembrance are emotionally charged.
Weekend catch-up: satire explaining the US, more
Rebuilding Marawi, a dam collapse in Laos, Trump emulating Putin, and more: the week that was on The Interpreter.
Bomb, bomb Iran
Bombing Iran has been spoken of, allegedly planned and threatened for years, but there is no sign it is about to occur.
China: vaccines and rumours from Zhongnanhai
Amid whispers of possible infighting, President Xi Jinping remains powerful while Premier Li Keqiang seeks gains.
Kazakhstan steps into the sun
Kazakhstan is forging a leading role in Central Asia, with Moscow slow to recognise the country is eluding its grasp.
Business aid and aiding business
A growing recognition is that business value can be measured by being accountable to non-financial stakeholders.
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.