Is Australia Really Prepared for the Asian Century?

Published on Nov 29, 2015 by Luke Hunt

In July the non-partisan think tank the Lowy Institute held a panel event in Melbourne to discuss the findings of its recent poll ‘What Australians really think about the world’. Some findings were obvious enough: Australians are more concerned about terrorism than about war with China and welcome China’s input to the country’s economic growth even as they worry about investment in real estate.Read more from Helen Clark in Blue Notes.

Blame Game Continues, Malaysia’s Deadly Plane Crash

Published on Oct 24, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Dutch investigators have confirmed what much of the world already believed: That a Russian-made missile was used from rebel territory controlled by pro-Moscow forces in Ukraine to shoot down Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, killing all 298 people on board.Equally predictable was the Kremlin’s reaction to the tragedy and ensuing investigations which found a Russian-made Buk rocket system was deployed on July 17, 2014, even though it is impossible to say who did it.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Malaysians Escalate Push For Najib’s Resignation

Published on Oct 10, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Fed up with years of alleged corruption, Malaysian activists escalated their protests, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak and the overhaul of a political system its critics argue is racist and favors the few who are political connected.Police estimated that 25,000 people took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur for the weekend Bersih 4.0 rally, which unlike previous demonstrations passed off peacefully. Organizers said the numbers were much higher, at around 200,000.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

North Korean Leader Wins Indonesian Peace Award

Published on Aug 24, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Judged on performance, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has probably lived up to expectations handed down by his father and his father’s father.He has dealt with his dislikes with a ruthless abandonment. That included the execution of Uncle Jang Song Thaek, who he reportedly once liked and then went on to describe as “despicable human scum.”Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Toil and Trouble off China's Southern Coast

Published on Aug 2, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Naval brinkmanship in the South China Sea is taking a backseat to diplomacy, trade and the international courts. For the time being at least, regional governments are holding back and carefully weighing the ramifications of a conflict in the disputed waters.The softly-softly approach was adopted by ASEAN countries in the wake of last year’s nasty military standoff and despite a decision by Beijing to up-the-ante over the winter with a massive land fill exercise on selective reefs, creating an international outcry.Read more from Luke Hunt in Warscapes..