19 Nov 2025
Can ASEAN secure a quantum future?
To harness the power of quantum, Southeast Asia must upskill, innovate, and think beyond the vendor-supplier model.
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25 Sep 2025
Singapore and Dubai as smart city case studies
Two cities, two very different tacks on embedding digital technology into everyday lives. -
25 Sep 2025
Is the US really losing to China in Southeast Asia?
A major new research project published by the Lowy Institute says yes – but there’s more to the story. -
18 Sep 2025
The ambitious SunCable project hinges on good neighbours and secure seas
An Australia–Asia green energy transmission link will test sovereignty, diplomatic leverage, and maritime security. -
20 Aug 2025
The strategy behind Singapore’s defence cooperation
Singapore’s defence cooperation emphasises close ties with the United States while deepening trust with regional neighbours. -
31 Jul 2025
Air force modernisation in Southeast Asia: Deterrence or danger?
Fighter aircraft purchases reflect a broader push for military autonomy at a time of rising great power rivalry and supply chain concerns. -
23 Jul 2025
Japan wants to offload six destroyers, but should the Philippines take them?
With Manila’s military modernisation occurring at breakneck speed, the infrastructure struggle will be real. -
21 Jul 2025
How a golf resort near Singapore can grow Australian investment in Indonesia
The timing is right for Australia to back a new economic zone in the region. -
20 Jun 2025
Myanmar and ASEAN’s parallel diplomacy trap
In Southeast Asia, national imperatives are increasingly outweighing regional cohesion. -
6 May 2025
What can we learn from the Singaporean election, where nobody lost?
For starters, it is not a great time to be a small opposition party. -
1 May 2025
Singapore election: All about the lived economy
Traditional “bread-and-butter” issues will feature prominently in this month’s ballot. -
15 Apr 2025
Asia without America? History shows Australia can be confident shaping regional security
The Five Power Defence Arrangements makes for a case in point. -
28 Mar 2025
Chipping away at controls: Singapore’s challenge with China-linked companies
A tech fraud case has again put the Southeast Asian nation in the spotlight. -
13 Mar 2025
Singapore’s navy modernisation: Big on size but small on personnel
Grappling with the need to overcome constraints on the number of personnel available to crew warships and submarines. -
12 Mar 2025
Artificial intelligence and sustainability in the Asia-Pacific
With the right strategies, AI and clean energy can work in harmony, driving progress without compromising the planet. -
6 Mar 2025
Missed signals: What Southeast Asia wants vs what Australia delivers
With US aid disappearing, a new report shows Australia has a chance to align development cooperation with the region’s challenges and Australia’s strengths. -
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16 Dec 2024
Southeast Asia’s death penalty laws: The ultimate political game
The region’s diverse policies on executions are about more than the war on crime. -
15 Nov 2024
Is Southeast Asia ready for a regional power grid?
Australia is in pole position to partner with the region on cross-border electricity supply. -
23 Sep 2024
Power in Asia: Outliers and curiosities
Some findings of the latest Asia Power Index controvert conventional wisdom. -
16 Apr 2024
Lawrence Wong’s ascent as Singapore’s 4th generation leader
The island-state will have a new prime minister next year, but old hands will help guide the challenge from growing China-US rivalry. -
21 Mar 2024
New Zealand and ASEAN: Focusing on what’s right under its nose
As a country at the end of the global supply chain, New Zealand depends on the stability of Southeast Asia. -
8 Feb 2024
TikTok’s unwanted viral moment shows Singapore-China confusion hasn’t changed
A senator questioning the nationality of the TikTok CEO not only brought to mind experience of prejudice – but also highlighted misapprehensions about Singapore. -
7 Feb 2024
The role of Singapore, Malaysia and Australia in ASEAN centrality
Cooperation, especially on security and the economy, is key to countering pressure from outside the bloc. -
2 Oct 2023
The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19
Poverty, institutional incapacity and budget cuts fuelled a surge in pandemic piracy. The lessons are many. -
26 Jul 2022
Answering China’s South China Sea flying safety challenge
A regional response can best manage risks, and the Five Power Defence Arrangement offers just the mechanism. -
27 May 2022
A tale of two countries: interpreting The Kashmir Files
Once famed for their secular constitutions, India and Singapore have taken different tacks on religious vilification. -
4 May 2022
Death penalty: Singapore’s growing abolition movement
Public support for capital punishment isn’t as overwhelming and unshakeable as the government often portrays it to be. -
7 Mar 2022
Reading Southeast Asia on Ukraine
Russia’s invasion has unified the West with new clarity, yet exposed ambiguity and uncertainty in Southeast Asia. -
15 Nov 2021
Is Australia relevant?
Neighbours in Southeast Asia may not be “forced to choose” but rather “left behind”. -
9 Sep 2021
Economic diplomacy: Australia Inc’s new world order
Is “China plus” the answer to fading US global hegemony? -
7 Apr 2021
In Singapore, Covid vs privacy is no contest
The pandemic has shown how easily most people accept surveillance, and the government’s enthusiasm for new forms of it. -
27 Nov 2020
Fareed Zakaria on Australia’s “opportunity” between the US and China
Inspiration from a tiny giant in Southeast Asia might help Australia find a way through multiple diplomatic obstacles. -
27 Oct 2020
Singapore and Sri Lanka: Newfound opportunities amid Covid-19 pandemic
Singapore’s efforts to diversify food imports is a practical choice that bodes well for Colombo’s Asia-centric policy. -
5 Aug 2020
The invisible during the pandemic
Singapore’s thousands of migrant workers make up the bulk of Covid-19 cases in the city-state. -
21 Jul 2020
Singapore’s election: Why aren’t the winners smiling?
While the People’s Action Party was assured of holding power once more, the results didn’t all flow its way. -
8 Jul 2020
Singaporeans’ tricky exercise in tactical voting
The ruling PAP wants a “strong mandate”, while the opposition relies on electoral quirks and the guesswork of voters. -
14 May 2020
Covid-19 and the acceleration of state surveillance
The pandemic has suddenly made the unthinkable acceptable. Data and privacy may never be the same. -
8 Apr 2020
Covid forces Singapore to confront conditions for its migrant workers
Infections have seen several crowded dormitories locked down and put a spotlight on the treatment of city’s builders. -
30 Mar 2020
Singapore’s vulnerability: A large and growing pool of older people
The city state leads in the fight against the virus, but in the longer term, an ageing population is another challenge. -
19 Mar 2020
Is Singapore feeling safe enough to go to the polls?
All signs point to a looming election, but nothing is official so far – and a ballot in a pandemic is a big risk. -
26 Feb 2020
Singapore: Hedging with hope
The gift of geography has made Singapore wealthy, yet also puts the city-state at a choke point in regional competition. -
12 Feb 2020
Singapore’s quarrel over colonialism
The affluent city-state gained independence over a half-century ago, but a deeper past is still present. -
3 Dec 2019
As Facebook caves to Singapore censorship, the writing is on the wall
The tech giant’s capitulation, while unsurprising, sets an ominous precedent that others would be happy to follow. -
8 Aug 2019
The backlash to “brownface” in Singapore
<p>A racist advert on the state broadcaster has again thrust tensions about Singapore society into the limelight.</p> -
24 Jul 2019
Hong Kong’s political trouble is Singapore’s gain
History looks to be repeating, as earlier strife in Hong Kong helped the rise of another of Asia’s island cities. -
16 Jul 2019
The guessing game for Singapore’s elections
The scramble for the ballot box where the boundaries are redrawn at every election and the PM controls the timing. -
6 Jun 2019
Singapore steers the US-China extremes at Shangri-la
Was Lee Hsien Loong critical of China, giving the stick to America, or perhaps resigned he could please neither? -
8 Apr 2019
Singapore: a fake news law which is actually very bad news
Human rights groups and big businesses alike fear a new law could have major repercussions, including overseas. -
15 Mar 2019
Singapore’s careful F-35 fighter aircraft purchase
With these flying advanced sensor arrays, the aim could be to protect Singapore as Switzerland of Southeast Asia.