11 Sep 2025
Are there actually North Korean troops inside Ukraine?
With no reliable evidence of North Korean soldiers beyond Kursk, the reality isn’t matching the media hype.
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11 Sep 2025
Northern Myanmar: The latest stop in Trump’s rare earths escapade
The likelihood of Chinese buy-in on US–Myanmar mining deals is remote. -
11 Sep 2025
How uncertainty about US strategy complicates Europe’s approach to the Indo-Pacific
Washington’s posture could challenge European interests and planning. -
10 Sep 2025
America’s “Department of War” puts Asia’s peace at risk
The US military rebrand exposes uncomfortable truths about American power that could reshape regional relationships. -
10 Sep 2025
Canberra needs fewer partners, better focus – and a team-up with Seoul and Delhi offers just that
An Australia-India-South Korea triangle makes sense in an era of uncertainty about the United States. -
10 Sep 2025
The South China Sea’s next legal frontier: Ships without sailors
Unmanned warships blur legal boundaries as technology outpaces international law in contested maritime zones. -
10 Sep 2025
India’s digital arrest scams
Cultural predispositions and the brain’s cognitive biases are being weaponised by cybercriminals to devastating effect. -
9 Sep 2025
Peacemaker, Pacemaker, Playmaker: The three-way formula for engaging North Korea
A coordinated US-South Korea-Japan approach could succeed where previous bilateral efforts with Pyongyang have failed. -
9 Sep 2025
Why Australians are realists on China
Tech rivalry is a telling case study where pragmatic engagement with both superpowers is preferred despite mounting pressure to choose sides. -
9 Sep 2025
Five days of fire: Lessons from the Cambodia–Thailand border crisis
Divergent strategies on border disputes could be solved with an ASEAN solution. But is there the political will? -
9 Sep 2025
The messy truth: Australia’s reputation in Southeast Asia
When it comes to soft power, a little more humility and a lot less swagger would work in Canberra’s favour. -
8 Sep 2025
The China-Russia-North Korea alliance that needs no name
The West should not be blinded by what is plain to see. -
8 Sep 2025
Who is Thailand’s new Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul?
The installation of a “middleman” prime minister is a warning sign for Thailand’s political stability. -
8 Sep 2025
Ukraine’s oil war threatens to leave Russia running on empty
Drone attacks on energy infrastructure expose Moscow’s vulnerabilities while raising costs of continued war. -
8 Sep 2025
The Pacific’s diplomatic retreat from great power competition
Regional leaders are excluding outside powers as they seek consensus on a way to safeguard both unity and diversity. -
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5 Sep 2025
Afghanistan’s earthquake is a force multiplier of fragility
The latest disaster is another blow to isolated communities already reeling from food insecurity, drought and mass refugee returns. -
5 Sep 2025
In Vietnam’s case, what, exactly, is the target of Trump’s “transshipment” tariffs?
Ill-defined enforcement and geopolitical realities may see Washington’s measures favour Beijing over Hanoi. -
5 Sep 2025
Digital authoritarianism is on the rise: Australia should take note
Democracies are increasingly using the tools of digital control under the guise of national security. -
4 Sep 2025
Does Australia’s US alliance doom our Asian relationships to fail?
In fact, there’s a strong case to be made that Australia’s relationships with regional countries have never been better. -
4 Sep 2025
A world dominated by China? It’s a distraction from the real contest
China’s ambitions are mostly regional, not global, as the Beijing military parade attests. -
4 Sep 2025
The incredible shrinking Quad
A supposed cornerstone of regional policy seems anything but. -
4 Sep 2025
Australia wastes a soft power advantage with skilled migrants
A failure to quickly recognise migrant skills damages relationships in the Indo-Pacific region Australia seeks to court. -
4 Sep 2025
A test of unity: Can the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ meeting keep the family together
Pacific leaders will gather in Honiara for big declarations on security and climate, but regional fragmentation poses a pressing challenge. -
3 Sep 2025
Daniel Andrews, private statesman, grubby diplomacy
A former state leader’s appearance at China’s military parade tells a story of Australia’s ongoing China dilemma. -
3 Sep 2025
What resuming direct India-China flights reveals about changing regional priorities
A reconnection that might make managing a fraught relationship just that bit easier. -
3 Sep 2025
Beyond submarines: Why AUKUS Pillar II matters now
The trilateral security partnership has the potential to deliver meaningful operational advantages within this decade. -
3 Sep 2025
The UN’s impossible job: Who would want to be the next Secretary-General?
Some candidates may launch their campaign at the upcoming General Assembly, even as political paralysis and budget cuts make the job even harder. -
3 Sep 2025
A world without an economic hegemon
What happens to the global economy when Washington no longer makes, and enforces, the rules-based order? -
2 Sep 2025
Nothing new in the India-US spat or Delhi-Beijing bonhomie
The baggage of history weighs more than just the personalities of the present. -
2 Sep 2025
Finland’s distinctive credibility in peace efforts for Ukraine
The country’s experience surviving Soviet pressure is not the only reason Alexander Stubb has taken an outsized role. -
2 Sep 2025
Postcard from France: A political system in decline?
The ills that plague the Republic seem to lie in its waning agency and authority in a disrupted and contested world. -
2 Sep 2025
Indonesia’s move to welcome PNG into ASEAN is a win-win
Expanding the Southeast Asian bloc is good for the region, and will ensure Jakarta’s leadership position. -
1 Sep 2025
The fallout for Australia from US-India tension
Canberra and New Delhi could forge deeper ties as compensation for America’s changing regional priorities. -
1 Sep 2025
Four legs bad, three legs better? Rescuing the Quad with an India-Japan-Australia grouping
Three democratic middle powers have compelling reasons to forge an independent partnership that doesn’t depend on US politics. -
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1 Sep 2025
The age of alliances is ending, with hedging the rule of order
In times of war and transition, necessity overwhelms virtue. And was ever thus. -
29 Aug 2025
The bigger story behind Modi’s China trip – and it’s not India’s tensions with Trump
New Delhi’s foreign policy remains anchored in diversification, not American expectations of a special partnership. -
29 Aug 2025
Problems in the post
Australia’s small exporters are caught in a wider contest between the United States and China over the cost of mail. -
29 Aug 2025
Marles’ dash to Washington as Australia’s old anxieties resurface in the Trump era
Perpetual worry about US access says more about Australian insecurity than American indifference to allies. -
29 Aug 2025
Triple shock threatens Southeast Asia’s development model
Tariffs, border disputes and shrinking aid budgets combine to challenge six decades of regional economic progress. -
28 Aug 2025
Why France must join: Turning the Quintet into a Sextet
Paris brings territorial legitimacy, EU leverage and military presence that would strengthen any Indo-Pacific grouping. -
28 Aug 2025
Pragmatism reigns as Japan and South Korea look toward the future
Lee and Ishiba’s summit signals a shift from historical grievances to practical cooperation, but politics could derail progress. -
28 Aug 2025
Australia’s stablecoin opportunity in the Pacific
Digital dollar tokens could revolutionise regional remittances, but only if Canberra helps shape a regulatory framework to dodge the scams. -
28 Aug 2025
Trump’s method is not madness
Deliberate disruption and manufactured tensions have proven surprisingly effective in advancing US interests across multiple fronts. -
27 Aug 2025
Trump’s tariffs are only part of the problem for Indian manufacturing
Deeper structural problems at home pose bigger challenges than the trade dispute with Washington. -
27 Aug 2025
Seoul will struggle to find currency for Pyongyang talks
Without economic incentives or offering entree to the White House, South Korea could find itself sidelined in North Korea diplomacy. -
27 Aug 2025
Kashmir’s double burden: Climate change and conflict
Recurring floods in disputed Kashmir highlight how geopolitical tensions compound climate vulnerabilities and hinder long-term solutions. -
27 Aug 2025
Greenland: “Not for sale, but open for business”
Economic dependence on Denmark and Trump’s military ambitions leave Greenlanders caught between colonial past and uncertain future. -
26 Aug 2025
Why fears about Japan going nuclear are likely overblown
The atomic weapons taboo remains just that.