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.
What’s at Stake in Japan’s Election
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe surprised the country and dissolved the lower house of parliament on November 21, 2014, calling a snap general election for December 14. In a new Q&A, James Schoff explains Abe’s move and analyzes the issues at stake. Schoff says a strong result for Abe’s party could boost the prime minister’s political capital as he pushes for key reforms, and it might spark realignment among the opposition.
2015: A World Confused
Norms and even basic tenets of international behavior have been scattered left and right in recent years: the annexation of Crimea by Vladimir Putin’s little green men and his stealth invasion of Ukraine by Russian soldiers “on vacation” with their tanks; the Islamic State’s combination of medieval mores and modern capabilities to govern as well as fight; China’s on-again, off-again provocations in the East and South China Seas; and, in Syria, the ruin of a recently functional state with the world unable to stop the human and physical destruction.