The Philippines: Counting the Costs in Zamboanga

Published on Sep 30, 2013 by Luke Hunt

In the Philippines, authorities are counting the costs of the damage inflicted by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) following its pointless raid on Zamboanga in the country’s troubled south and the lengths to which the emergency services had to go, to protect the innocent.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Misuari Costs MNLF Any Goodwill After Zamboanga Debacle

Published on Sep 20, 2013 by Luke Hunt

By storming the Southern Philippine city of Zamboanga, veteran fighters of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) tipped popular perceptions upside down. For more than 15 years MNLF had been seen as a moderate group in a land dubbed as the alphabet soup of insurgents.Read more from Luke Hunt at The Diplomat..

On a Warpath: Turkey’s Dangerous Take on Syria

Published on Sep 14, 2013 by Luke Hunt

This article first appeared in The Edge ReviewBy LUKE HUNT / IstanbulThroughout the Cold War, Turkey played a deft diplomatic hand. With neighbours like the Soviet Union and its recalcitrant regional satellites, Syria, Iraq and Iran, keeping the peace was the mantra underpinning Turkey’s projection of soft power within the politics of the region.It was a common sense policy that earned Ankara a wealth of respect across the Middle East and beyond – until very recently. A combination of nasty domestic differences, unfettered access to oil and gas and a leader’s uncompromising ego is heralding an end to a once peaceful approach.At the center of this policy shift is Turkey’s Prime Minister TayyipErdogan, whose formidable abilities have achieved what many....

Conflict Threatens East Malaysia – Again

Published on Sep 11, 2013 by Luke Hunt

Reports coming out of the Southern Philippines and East Malaysia paint a worrying picture. The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) has announced that is has mobilized 4,000 militiamen hidden among the million-plus illegal immigrants in Sabah to defend their own ethnic Tausugs against a Malaysian crackdown on illegal immigrants.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Thais That Bind

Published on Jul 31, 2013 by Luke Hunt

Nestled on the edge of Chinatown in Australia’s largest city is a vibrant and bustling street lined with pubs advertising live rock bands and row after row of businesses that wouldn’t seem out of place of a Bangkok Street.Read more from Henry Zwartz in the Sunday Bangkok Post..