Straddling the boundaries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, the Baloch people have long endured as a distinct ethnic group whose aspirations have been overshadowed by the ambitions of larger state actors. In Balochistan, in Pakistan's west, Baloch ethno-nationalist assertions of identity have long driven protests and petitioning directed at Islam…

Indonesia, the world's third largest democracy, has elected Prabowo Subianto to be its next president in a sweeping victory. Yet, Prabowo, who enjoyed substantial support from Indonesia's young voters, is a controversial figure with a reputation marred by human rights violations, a history of anti-democratic rhetoric, and ties to the authoritarian …

Malaysian society stands at a crossroads as ethnic tensions simmer, fueled by fiery rhetoric and a rise in Malay nationalism. Recent elections exposed a divided democracy, with populists pushing an agenda that strains the nation's multicultural fabric. Despite the absence of actual violence, social media is amplifying hate speech that paints minori…

China's Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2023, aims to reshape global governance by emphasising mutual respect between civilizations and common human values. While it ostensibly appears to embrace diversity, some analysts argue that it primarily serves China's own interests by reshaping international norms i…

Despite China's official stance that reunification with Taiwan is non-negotiable, the perspectives of mainland Chinese writers, filmmakers, and television producers who have lived on the island are often far more nuanced. How have these artists reconciled their ties to the mainland with their experiences in Taiwan? What distinguishes the works of t…

With the return of the El Niño weather pattern after a three-year hiatus, several Southeast Asian nations are preparing for the resurgence of the hazardous haze caused by peatland fires in Indonesia. Indonesia’s 24 million hectares of tropical peatlands – the largest holding worldwide – support vital biodiversity and carbon storage. However, agricu…

As India’s diaspora continues to expand in Western nations, what are the implications of caste identity, and the discriminatory practices that accompany it, for corporate managers? Despite being prohibited by law in India, cultural norms and social practices have allowed caste-based discrimination to persist. The over-representation of higher caste…

China’s ambitious push into the Pacific Islands through infrastructure investments and loans has raised concerns about its grand strategy and geopolitical goals for nearby middle powers such as Australia. Meanwhile, Beijing's recent security deal with Solomon Islands plus its attempt to strike a larger deal with ten other island nations has prompte…

Myanmar is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis dating back to the military coup of February 2021, which toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered a massive popular uprising that has been met with a brutal junta-led crackdown on protesters and the civil disobedience movement. Thousands of civilians have been killed, thousand…

With a history of conflict with large powers such as China and the United States, Vietnam now pursues a carefully calibrated foreign policy of multi-alignment and hedging to balance its strategic interests. The Southeast Asian nation has been working towards greater economic integration into global markets, yet it’s also using active diplomacy, see…

Although the rising popularity of the political far-right in Western liberal democracies has shifted Australia’s security gaze away from Islamic terrorism, two decades of terrorism countermeasures has left scars on Muslim communities down under and elsewhere. So how has living under the yoke of the War on Terror influenced how Muslims see themselve…

With the housing sector on the brink, high youth unemployment and slower than desired GDP growth, 2023 is shaping up to be an annus horribilis for China’s economy. Since many of its current economic woes are due to the lingering effects of its zero-COVID policy, it should come as no surprise that Western media are portraying this state of affairs a…

Cambodia has for decades been aligning itself ever closer to China, with substantial economic and political consequences for the Southeast Asian nation – and with geopolitical implications for its neighborhood and beyond. China's economic influence in Cambodia has been huge, with large-scale Chinese investments and infrastructure projects fueling g…

India faces a daunting task in providing adequate healthcare for its 1.4 billion people. While it can boast world-class hospitals and skilled medical staff, there remain stark disparities in healthcare access and quality, particularly in rural areas. Meanwhile, as India’s public healthcare system is criticized as antiquated and inefficient, the rap…

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's victory in Türkiye’s 2023 presidential election extends his two-decade reign by another 5 years yet raises important questions about the country's domestic politics. Despite his handling of a struggling economy and the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake, Erdoğan prevailed in a runoff election that highlighted deep politic…

As Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr begins his second year as president of the Philippines, how is his administration impacting the lives of ordinary Filipinos? The controversial term of Marcos’ immediate predecessor Rodrigo Duterte was marked by a brutal war on drugs that led to widespread extrajudicial killings as well as attacks on activists, medi…

In May 2019, Taiwan broke barriers by legalizing same-sex marriage, becoming the first in Asia to do so. While the enormous efforts of activists — coupled with the progressive mindset of Taiwanese youth — were instrumental in achieving this milestone, what is it about Taiwan that has made it the regional forerunner when it comes to the rights of se…

While China asserts its right to some 90% of the South China Sea, its claims variously overlap and conflict with those of Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines -- themselves no strangers to past maritime disputes. In fact, countries across the Indo-Pacific have had to find ways of resolving or at least learning to live with disp…

Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the harboring of extremist or terrorist groups, continued high numbers of displaced Afghans, and ramped up production of opium for export are key concerns for neighboring nations. Iran, Pakistan, China, India and other countries each have their own interests to protect and opportuni…

In Malaysia, the 3 “R”s — race, religion, and royalty — are considered politically sensitive topics, and despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech, the state has passed laws that restrict their discussion, both online and off. While these curbs have the potential to stifle critical discussion and maintain existing power structures, the…

There's no question that Australia is tightly bound to Asia. Indonesia is a close neighbor, China is its most important trading partner, and India and Japan are its strategic partners. While prioritizing Asia-focused education would thus seem essential for Australia, recent trends indicate a decline in Asian language and studies programs in Austral…

China's government has made significant policy shifts in recent months, including lifting the zero-covid policy, loosening credit regulations for real estate development, and a less strident tone in international relations. These changes suggest a sense of reversal or climbdown, despite the absence of official admissions of any policy failing. Is a…

In Taiwan, the victory in Taipei's 2022 mayoral election of Chiang Wan-an, the Kuomintang (KMT) candidate and purported great grandson of former strongman Chiang Kai Shek, has sparked debate about the future of the island's relationship with China. While the KMT has adopted a more conciliatory stance towards the Chinese Communist Party, its one-tim…

The Yangtze, Asia's longest river, flows through China's wealthiest region, the lower delta, which includes the metropolis of Shanghai. Sadly, the unique traditional cultures and epic folk songs of this region have all but succumbed to the relentless march of modernization and cultural homogenisation. What are the stories behind the region’s longfo…

In 2020, Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong after months of mass protests, resulting in the prosecution and conviction of many activists and journalists. China introduced the law despite their 1997 agreement with the outgoing British colonial administration to allow the territory its own system of governance for 50 years. Nearly t…

Although Indonesia's presidential elections take place in February 2024, it's already game on for the lineup of presidential hopefuls, and the nation's political machine is already in high gear. So who are the big names throwing their hats into the ring this time around? What will each bring to the table? And what messages will resonate with the di…

Muslims in Indonesia are increasingly seeking to align their consumption with their religious beliefs. The push comes from a growing urban middle class who have greater access to global products and services. At the same time, Indonesia’s halal product assurance law, which came into effect in 2019, is being phased in across a wide range of goods an…

In August 2021, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan after a 20-year hiatus and promptly replaced the nation’s legal system with their own austere version of Islamic law or Sharia. While the impact of the new government on women and girls has been well documented outside the country, the Taliban's interpretation of Sharia is making itself f…

Sri Lanka recently found itself caught in a diplomatic tussle between China and India over the planned visit of Chinese naval vessel the Yuan Wang 5, to the port of Hambantota. India opposed the visit because it considers the vessel a spy ship, while China maintains that it’s just a research vessel. And that saga is but one example of how Sri Lanka…

After the Taliban wrested power from Afghanistan’s democratically-elected government in August 2021, almost overnight, life for millions of Afghans changed radically and possibly irrevocably. Notably, the rights of women and girls to be educated and to participate in the workforce were stripped away. But the nation was also plunged into a terrible …

Since the 1950s but peaking in the 1980s, an estimated 200,000 South Korean babies and children have been adopted into mainly white families in western nations, leaving a trail of fractured identities. Why did the South Korean government allow so many of its children to be sent permanently abroad? What have been the fates of the adoptees, some now …

Taiwan and Korea were colonised by Imperial Japan for much of the first half of the 20th century, and liberated only after Japan surrendered to allied forces in 1945. While North and South Korea continue to share a deep resentment towards Japan, Taiwan exhibits a more positive attitude towards their former coloniser. Why is there such a stark diffe…

While non-violence and detachment may be central to Buddhist teachings, there are growing accounts of human rights abuses – often along ethnic lines – in Buddhist-majority countries like Myanmar and Sri Lanka, often carried out in the name of Buddhism. So how does Buddhism intersect with political power? And how has Buddhism itself been changed by …

China’s meteoric economic rise over the last 40+ years has been accompanied by hundreds of millions of people leaving the countryside to seek opportunities in the nation's metropolises. Housing this immense influx has been and continues to be a challenge for authorities. So how is China meeting the challenges of providing a roof over the heads of 1…

The recent change of government in Australia and a less strident tone in messaging from the Chinese leadership are being taken by some as a promising turn for fractured bilateral ties. But as Australia remains caught in the great power rivalry between the United States and China, what kind of relationship can we realistically expect between Canberr…

Protesters returned to the streets of Bangkok in late 2021 – after a hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions – with anger over curbs to civil and political rights as well as calls for reform of the Thai monarchy. In response, Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government has sought to quell the pro-democracy protests by restricting and monitoring internet use, and by…

Malaysia has witnessed a succession of prime ministers and political alliances over the past four years in what some observers say is the most serious era of political instability since independence in 1957. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s grand old party, UMNO, dealt an unprecedented defeat in 2018 following a global corruption scandal and mass protests, is…

India has now on four occasions abstained from voting in the United Nations to censure Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi’s muted response to Moscow’s military offensive may seem mystifying given India’s own experience of armed incursions by China, as well as its membership in the US-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (“the Quad”). So …

Having built a Shariah-compliant global finance industry now worth US$3 trillion, Islamic legal experts are now grappling with the question of whether cryptocurrencies are permissible for the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims. Just how are religious laws from the 7th century adapted to meet the present-day needs and economic aspirations of believers? How…

Pachinko, the New York Times best-selling novel and now major TV series, shines a light on the history and plight of the Zainichi – ethnic Koreans long resident in Japan – and their struggle to make lives for themselves despite persistent discrimination and ethnic stereotyping. Zainichi researchers Drs Jon Glade, Cindi Textor and David Roh join pre…

For Japan, China is both its largest trading partner and its greatest strategic threat. And while Tokyo has garnered admiration for how it walks the line between its ally Washington and Beijing, it’s now set to draw up a new defence strategy with China likely top of mind. So what has the Xi Jinping era meant for bilateral ties? And how much of the …

The South Korean mega-hit Squid Game is but one example of an ever growing pool of Asian video content riding the boom in streaming services to a global audience. And while translations are key to bridging the language divide, what are the factors that make for a good translation? Will fan-based translation and artificial intelligence make trained …

China’s Communist Party is known to prize loyalty and conformity among its more than 90 million members. If good policies are forged through deliberation and debate, how does the CCP handle the weighing of opinions, counter-proposals and objections while ensuring ideological purity? And how does a party member of good will conscientiously object? D…

As Australia’s relationship with China continues to sour, it should come as no surprise that Canberra is bolstering security ties with New Delhi. Additionally, the two governments are working hard to forge a comprehensive trade agreement. But is a mutual suspicion of Beijing a sound basis for closer ties? What are the real issues that bind -- and s…

As US president, Donald Trump rewrote the rule book for dealing with China, breaking norms enshrined in bilateral relations since the days of Richard Nixon. Yet even Trump’s harshest critics have since warmed to his assertive, unconventional approach to Beijing, and there’s now recognition that there is no return to the China policy of old. But was…

Despite being well into his final term as Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo continues his coalition building, and retains the backing of political and business elites. And, while critics point to poor pandemic management and eroding democracy under his watch, Jokowi remains very popular with ordinary Indonesians. So why is Jokowi still actively am…

For many, outgoing Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will be remembered for his call for the extra-judicial killings of alleged drug dealers. He's also gone after his critics in the media, the judiciary, and the legislature. But despite his apparent excesses, Duterte remains popular with ordinary Filipinos. What's been the basis for his endurin…

In Japan, the norms of human connection and physical intimacy are evolving, with arranged marriages on the wane, and defacto relationships and same-sex unions no longer rare. As the nature of unions changes, so is the practice of parting, with increases in late-life and women-initiated divorces. What’s driving these societal changes in Japan? How a…

What's at stake and who are the stakeholders in steering health policy in Indonesia? While the right to health for all Indonesians has been embraced by progressive, populist and technocratic political forces in recent years, oligarchic elites with ties to business and the military are now reemerging to thwart further improvements in healthcare for …

While relations between China and Australia have been on a protracted downward spiral, with on-the-ground issues continuing to hamper bilateral ties, how much of the impasse is down to a mutually poor grasp of the opposite number? China legal veteran Dr Andrew Godwin and China political scientist Assoc Prof Delia Lin make the case that an appreciat…