Responding to the Paris Attack: Beware the Fatal Error
Synopsis
The killings in Paris have resulted in panic and public concern, but the authorities should not give the attackers what they seek. States and security forces should avoid the trap of reacting to terrorist violence with overwhelming state violence, which would serve the interests of radical militant groups to sow distrust and antagonism.
Deaths in Paris: Refining the Post-9/11 Model
Synopsis
Underlying the attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine is a far greater threat than the brutalising of freedom of expression. Western leaders and security agencies too often fall into and create a vicious cycle modelled on the 9/11 attacks in the US: A Muslim community that rejects violence is put on the defensive. The upshot is polarisation that breeds radicalisation.
Islam and Buddhism: Preserving Harmonious Relations
Synopsis
The creeping Muslim-Buddhist tension and the recent alliance forged among hard-line Buddhist nationalist movements in the “saffron crescent” countries of South and South-east Asia will undermine inter-religious relations in the world today. Islam and Buddhism have always co-existed throughout history and enjoyed a special relationship.
Enhancing Australia-Singapore Defence Relations: A View from Australia
Synopsis
2015 will provide Singapore and Australia with good opportunities to further enhance their defence relationship towards the goal of a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’.
Consensual Leadership in ASEAN: Will It Endure Under Jokowi?
Synopsis
Since President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) assumed office, many have been wondering whether ASEAN will still be the cornerstone of Indonesia’s foreign policy or merely just a vacuous diplomatic formality.
Ketuanan Melayu: What’s in a Name?
Synopsis
The idea of Malay primacy or Ketuanan Melayu in Malaysian politics tends to reverberate whenever its traditional advocate, UMNO, comes under siege. There is a need to better understand this concept.
Modi’s Foreign Policy: Nuanced Non-Alignment?
Synopsis
India signed a nuclear and defence deal with Russia during the President Putin’s recent visit to New Delhi. India also concluded agreements with Japan, the US and China in an important display of its traditional diplomacy undergoing nuanced change under Prime Minister Modi.
China’s Peaceful Rise: Till When?
Synopsis
China begins the New Year as the world’s largest economic power. Has China risen? Amidst never-ending talks and discussion about a rising China, what are the indicators of a risen China?
Rachmat Gobel Sebut MEA Sebagai Ancaman
KONTAN - DENPASAR. Menteri Perdagangan Rachmat Gobel menyatakan, perdagangan bebas ASEAN dalam wadah Masyarakat Ekonomi ASEAN (MEA) 2015 merupakan ancaman. Namun, hal ini harus dimaknai secara positif sehingga bisa memanfaatkan ancaman ini menjadi peluang.
The EU Must Prepare for a Cold Peace With Russia
For more than two decades, the main goal of the EU’s Russia policy was to help the country transform: from autocracy to democracy, from planned economy to market economy. The guiding vision was the “common European house”―the idea that Russia would gradually integrate into the structures that the EU had built over decades.