Asia
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RAMESH THAKUR. VIP culture is a blight on India’s democracy – a culture of impunity lies behind India’s rape epidemic
Solving India’s sexual violence crisis means holding the perpetrators of wrongdoing accountable – no matter their power in society. For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this means ending the VIP culture within his own party. Continue reading »
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MARTIN WOLF. How the Beijing elite sees the world
How does the Chinese ruling elite view the world? Over the weekend, I participated in a dialogue between a handful of foreign scholars and journalists and top Chinese officials, academics and business people, organised by the Tsinghua University Academic Centre for Chinese Economic Practice and Thinking. The discussion was franker than any I have participated Continue reading »
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CHAS FREEMAN. On the Souring of Sino-American Relations
(Remarks to the Committee of 100) I am honored to stand before you this morning to discuss US-China relations. It’s a challenge to speak on a subject so many here know so much about, and to do so at a moment of such radical inflection in the relationship. But Sino-American relations are a matter of Continue reading »
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JOSEPH A. CAMILLERI: Australia’s China policy mired in phobia and confusion.
Australia’s handling of its relations with China is rapidly descending into farce. Geoff Raby’s excellent piece (30 April) makes abundantly clear the principal factor at work, namely a nostalgic attachment to the US-led regional and global order of earlier years. Continue reading »
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TIM LINDSEY. Post-Reformasi Indonesia: The Age of Uncertainty.
Twenty years ago, the Soeharto era ended with reformation. Today’s post-Reformasi Indonesia is full of uncertainty, with profound implications for its foreign relations. Continue reading »
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MARIAM MOKHTAR. Mahathir’s Last Hurrah.
Critics of Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, used to joke that he would like to be prime minister for life. Today, that prediction may have a ring of truth, although others believe the incumbent PM, Najib Abdul Razak, would like to stake the same claim. Continue reading »
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Malaysia Calls On Authoritarian Regimes To Monitor Its Democratic Elections!
The Malaysian Election Commission has just issued a staggering list of seven countries which they say have taken up its offer to come and monitor the up-coming elections to ensure they are free and fair – and free from fraud. The list includes three of the world’s most authoritarian regimes; two countries described as ‘Hybrid’ Continue reading »
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BRIDGET WELSH. This Malaysian election is different.
Malaysia’s government has dissolved the Parliament to make way for the 14th General Election (GE14). The country will go to the polls on 9 May. From afar, this election seems like a repeat of the last election in 2013, when a polarised electorate was divided over the governance of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition led Continue reading »
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MACK WILLIAMS. Korea : After Panmunjeom
Much has been written about the recent Kim:Moon Summit and its communique. The signs on the interKorean front are encouraging but all still hinges on how the Kim:Trump Summit. It will have to address the absolutely critical issue of “denuclearisation” – what it actually means and how could it be achieved. There is still far Continue reading »
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CAVAN HOGUE. What rules based order?
Australia proclaims the importance of a rules based international order but it is not at all clear what those rules are, let alone who observes them and who doesn’t. Even where there is agreement on what the rule is countries interpret it to suit their interests. There are no countries in a position to cast Continue reading »
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Choreographing a wallaby-elephant pas de deux.
In January, Greg Sheridan wrote about a forthcoming report to the government by former foreign secretary Peter Varghese on how to elevate relations with India. Peter, who served also as High Commissioner to India, gives three reasons why India’s economic turnaround is transformational for Australia: its sheer scale, the complementarity between the Australian and Indian economies Continue reading »
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BEN GRAHAM Australia must warm to China or face economic punishment, expert claims
CHINA is not a rising power, it has already risen – and we can either embrace it now or face “punishment”, an expert says. Continue reading »
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RICHARD BUTLER. An Avalanche of Advocates
While the US will be without an Ambassador in Canberra for a while it can be forgiven for thinking it will be able to rely, on our own home-grown Alliance advocates. Continue reading »
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DUNCAN GRAHAM. Finding ties that bind with Indonesia
In early April, NSW Governor David Hurley spoke about Indonesian-Australian relationships. Although largely ignored by the mainstream media his speech was not the usual white bread served by those elevated to positions supra-politics. Hurley launched some awkward statistics: * Thirteen percent of Australians see Indonesians as trustworthy. Switch that around and the figure is 53 Continue reading »
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JOHN McCARTHY. Australian foreign policy needs more silence.
Simon and Garfunkel sang of the dangers of the sound of silence. But in Australian Foreign Policy, we need more of it. Continue reading »
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BEVAN RAMSDEN. Glimmer of hope for peace on Korean Peninsula glows more brightly.
Technically North and South Korea are still in a state of war. The cessation of hostilities in 1953 ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. Now South Korea says it is considering how to change a decades-old armistice with North Korea into a peace agreement. So the “eyes” of the world are currently on Continue reading »
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CLIVE KESSLER. Malaysia’s electoral fantasy belies worrying reality.
Malaysia’s fourteenth general elections (GE14) have finally been called. For almost a decade Prime Minister Najib Razak has ruled on recurrent hints of a snap, surprise election; this is the second time he has let the Parliament run close to its full five-year course. On 7 April, Najib dissolved the Parliament, leaving it to the Continue reading »
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EMIRZA ADI SYAILENDRA. Indonesia’s elite divided on China
The diffuse nature of policymaking in Indonesia discourages its leaders from departing from the country’s status quo policy towards Beijing. The status quo aims to allow Jakarta to have its cake and eat it too — that is, enjoy close relations with Beijing while preserving its strategic autonomy in ASEAN. Continue reading »
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LINDSAY MURDOCH. Former Islamic cleric could be Malaysia’s kingmaker.
Unlikely election alliance between PAS and UMNO could result in the country taking a stronger Islamic direction. Continue reading »
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MICHAEL PASCOE. The reality of our ‘scary’ China confrontation.
Fresh on the heels of the Chinese invasion of Vanuatu that wasn’t, febrile minds have been seized by the headline-grabbing story of a Chinese navy “confrontation” with the Royal Australian Navy. The Prime Minister was quickly ready in London to assert Australia’s right to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Well, I suppose that’s more fun for Continue reading »
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DAN MCGARRY. Want to lead in the Pacific? Try listening first
The average Australian’s conception of Pacific island nations is so limited it makes some of us wonder if they even want to understand. Our voices—and our reality—have been pointedly and repeatedly ignored in the media, and in the corridors of power. Continue reading »
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JOCELYN CHEY. China Watchers Are Not China Stooges.
Australia needs informed and balanced study and reporting on China more than ever before. Informed opinion depends on the ability to see both sides of the picture and to avoid over-simplification. Continue reading »
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Substituting question marks for exclamation marks
‘Fake news’ seems unavoidably associated with Donald Trump. He insists on casting himself as the victim of fake news even as any resemblance between his compulsive tweeting and facts seems largely coincidental. Still, it seems a pity that the rumours proved false of the Pentagon having increased the nuclear launch codes to more than 150 Continue reading »
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Morals, slogans and PR hype
Australian politicians and media have been beating their hairy chests accusing and warning China and Russia over their failings. One is reminded of the famous thundering headline in The Launceston Examiner ‘We warn the Tzar of Russia’ . The question is what is the motive in all of this? Do they really hope to influence Continue reading »
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All bets off on the Korea summit outcome.
CANBERRA – The pieces of the jigsaw are falling into place on the Korean Peninsula. But the overall picture — a denuclearized North Korea, a nuclear-weapon-free zone for all of Northeast Asia and/or a U.S. withdrawal from East Asia — remains fuzzy. Reaction to the March 8 announcement of a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Continue reading »
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JOHN TULLOH: Be careful what you say about Malaysia.
Perhaps it is time for DFAT to issue a travel advisory about Malaysia, namely be very careful what you say about the country. Uttering anything amounting to ‘fake news’ is now a criminal offence. Offenders can be fined up to $166,000 or be jailed for as long as six years – even if you’ve never Continue reading »
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FRANK JOTZO. China’s emissions trading takes steps towards big ambitions.
China’s new emissions trading scheme will start small, but comes with big potential, Frank Jotzo writes. China recently announced that it will begin to introduce a national emissions trading scheme for carbon dioxide this year. The promise for more market-oriented climate policy in the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitting country is enormous. But it will Continue reading »
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JERRY ROBERTS. The Dalai Lama, Falun Gong and Australian Democracy.
In his 2010 book, “The Party,” Richard McGregor described the iron grip exercised by the Chinese Communist Party on its homeland. Now Clive Hamilton in “Silent Invasion” traces the tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party as it squeezes Australia’s political, corporate and academic bodies. We should all read both books. Continue reading »
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PURNENDRA JAIN AND TAKESHI KOBAYASHI, LDP MEMBER. Political dynasties dominate Japan’s democracy
Hereditary political succession is not limited to monarchical and autocratic systems of government. Politicians from families that have previously occupied high office take top positions in many democratic countries. In Japan, hereditary politics show little sign of abating. Continue reading »
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Mapping the division of Malaysia.
Nation’s parliament set to ratify new boundaries to boost the government’s electoral prospects. Continue reading »