Australia, China: ‘Fear and Greed’
Published on Jun 1, 2016 by Luke Hunt
For more than two decades, Australia has danced a delicate two-step with the United States and its longtime Pacific allies on one hand and a not-so-friendly but big-spending China on the other.It was a split-the-difference approach that raised eyebrows — and blood pressures — from Washington to Tokyo and Seoul to Manila, where the view of Beijing’s designs on the region is colored far more in terms of potential threats than trade-related partnerships.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Washington Times.
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East Timor Hopes for ASEAN Membership by 2017
Published on May 29, 2016 by Luke Hunt
After years of canvassing and lobbying, Timor-Leste will be ready to become the 11th member of ASEAN by next year following extensive talks with Indonesia. If its admission is realized, it could potentially provide an economic boom for the tiny Southeast Asian backwater.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat.
A Speech for an Australian Prime Minister
Published on May 16, 2016 by Luke Hunt
Australian playwright Ross Mueller has captured the nuances of politics down under with his latest effort I Can’t Even, starring the actor and social commentator Rhys Muldoon as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who shares the role with the actress Louise Siversen on alternate nights.The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt speaks with the writer and star of a new play that focuses on the extremities of Australian politics.
‘Filipino Donald Trump’ Rodrigo Duterte Leads Presidential Race
Published on May 8, 2016 by Luke Hunt
To his many critics, he is an uncouth braggart with a penchant for politically incorrect jokes and a populist dislike for Western allies, but when Filipinos go to the polls Monday, they are widely expected to elect Rodrigo Duterte as president and initiate a political shake-up with unpredictable consequences in the battle for regional influence.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Washington Times.
What a New Vietnam-Russia Deal Says About the Mekong’s Future
Published on Feb 17, 2016 by Luke Hunt
It is potentially an unusual business transaction. While the prospect of a Vietnamese company taking over a Russian group in of itself is unusual, the buyout of a strategic stake in a major fish distributor is also a reflection of changing attitudes to the management of the Mekong River.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..
