Asia

Dennis Blasko is a Senior Research Scientist in China Studies for CNA Analysis & Solutions. Senior Research Scientist, China Studies Senior Research Scientist, China Studies For most of the past decade, organisations and individuals estimating China's 'actual' or 'true' defence-related spending

Contrary to some media reports and photographs of razor wire in the streets, Phnom Penh has appeared calm over the past four days I have been here. Yesterday morning there was a demonstration near the Phnom (see photo above), the city's most recognisable landmark, but it was to do with land issues,

It is right to be cautious about Iran's post-Ahmadinejad willingness to negotiate on the nuclear issue. And while a combination of the sanctions regime and the election of Hassan Rouhani as president has enabled negotiations to occur, the West should be alert to where Iran sees itself positioned

Elliot Brennan is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (Sweden) and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Pacific Forum-Center for Strategic and International Studies (US).   Late last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Binh

Stephen Grenville writes: Nicholas Stuart is right in spotting an error in The Guardian’s Indonesia Quiz, but he misses the best part of the British connection in only mentioning their presence at the end of WWII. Much more interesting is the presence of the British during and after the

Michael Green served on the US National Security Council staff from 2001-2005. He is now Senior Vice President for Asia at CSIS and a non-resident fellow at the Lowy Institute. President Obama has cut Malaysia and the Philippines from his itinerary for his upcoming Asia trip, but still appears

Yesterday Sam Roggeveen provided English-language links to coverage of Prime Minister Abbott's visit to Indonesia. This post looks at the Indonesian language print media on Tuesday and Wednesday. I've covered four of Indonesia's largest daily newspapers — Kompas, Jawa Pos, Koran Tempo and Media

China watcher James West writes for The Atlantic on his latest train trip through China, and has a short accompanying video (above): I have never before been as dumbfounded as during a train ride this week from Beijing through a swathe of China’s northeast coal belt... ...The scene could be a

Nicholas Stuart is a Canberra Times columnist and author of Kevin Rudd: An Unauthorised Political Biography. Melissa Conley Tyler’s reminder that there might be different ways to ‘think’ (or, to construct the formulation another way, ‘decipher the way of the world’) is timely. Engaging

Following Wednesday's interview updating you on the economic situation in Indonesia, below is my chat with the Lowy Institute's David McRae on the political situation. Dave spoke on this topic at Monday's Lowy Institute-ANU Indonesia Mini-Update event (full audio for the event here). Dave talks

Melissa Conley Tyler is National Executive Director of the Australian Institute of International Affairs. In 1998 it was still possible to publish a book with the title Can Asians Think?, at least if you were Singaporean. I don’t think anyone would ask that question now. But at a time when Asia

Yesterday the Lowy Institute hosted* one of our regular 'mini update' conferences on Indonesia, and I got the chance to talk with two of the speakers, Jason Alford from the Australian Treasury and Moekti Soejachmoen from the Support for Economic Analysis Development in Indonesia (SEADI) project.

Matthew Hill is a doctoral student at Cornell University's Department of Government. Five years on from the beginning of the global financial crisis, last week’s announcement that the US Federal Reserve would continue it monetary stimulus policy – popularly known as QE3 – has been greeted

Deep and rather arresting pessimism here about the future of US-China relations from Jennifer Lind and Daryl Press: The best hope for amicable U.S.-China relations rests on Beijing adopting a highly restrained grand strategy, but it would be historically unprecedented if it did so. China would be

Eva O’Dea is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute’s East Asia Program. Australia has ‘tarnished’ its reputation for policy stability in recent years through mismanagement and miscommunication over the introduction of the Minerals Resources Rent Tax and carbon pricing, according to

Tzvi Fleischer from the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council writes: Noticed you posted that skit about Middle East borders from the US 'Daily Show' today. It's cute as a skit but, as you would expect on a comedy show, its pretty lousy history and political analysis. The whole trope about

Danielle Rajendram is a Lowy Institute research associate. Her work focuses on Indian foreign and domestic policy, India-China relations and Asian security. The trial related to the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year old woman in New Delhi has come to an end, with all four of the accused convicted of

Although still not a democracy, Myanmar has been the standout case of political change in Southeast Asia over the past two years. In this new video, the third in the 'Views Across the Pacific' series with the Washington, DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, I discuss with Ernie

Rod Barton was a senior UN weapons inspector in Iraq. He is the author of The Weapons Detective: The Inside Story of Australia's Top Weapons Inspector. It is difficult from media reporting to sort fact from fiction about allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria. The chaos of war and the desire

Cameron Stewart writes in The Australian today about the announcement by the US Chief of Naval Operations (from his Navigation Plan 2014-2018) that he aims to 'provide amphibious lift for US marines operating out of Australia by establishing a fifth amphibious readiness group in the Pacific by

Nick Warner, now the Director-General of ASIS, was the first Special Coordinator of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (2003-2004). This post is drawn from a speech he made in Honiara on 25 July for the 10th anniversary of RAMSI. Nick Warner (right) briefs media in Honiara in