In discussion with the ANU’s Ass.Prof Greg Fealy and the ABC’s Tom Switzer, on Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s visit to Australia: […]
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Australia’s aid budget is the lowest it has been, as a proportion of GDP, since aid began. From its mid-1960s peak of 0.48 per cent of GDP, the aid budget is now less than half that, at 0.21 per cent. The simple reason for aid cuts has been to save money to balance budgets. The […]
There was little surprise in the Conservative’ victory in the UK’s recent elections. What was surprising, however, was the loss of traditional Labour seats.This can be explained by a number of obvious factors, but perhaps the critical factor has not yet been discussed. Jeremy Corbyn was a Labour leader who struggled to sell a compelling […]
After a half a century of incorporation as part of Indonesia and following a period of broadly declining violence in the half island of West Papua, the past year has seen a marked upsurge in Papuan-initiated violence. This increased violence appears to demonstrate that, even after so much time, anti-Indonesian sentiment is as strong as […]
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/theconversationhour/the-conversation-hour/11479936
In the weeks before Timor-Leste’s historic 1999 vote for independence, amid violence and destruction, there was a rising sense that the horror and misery of the previous 24 years would soon be over. In the face of massive intimidation, an overwhelming majority voted for independence, with high expectations of what the future would hold. 20 […]
My answers to some questions by an Agence-France Presse journalist ahead of Timor-Leste’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of its vote for independence: · What are the key developments politically, economically and socially in East Timor since 1999? A: The development of the Timor Sea fields has allowed Timor-Leste to get on its feet and […]
Malaysia’s extraordinary election outcome, in which the six decade old government has been defeated, marks a profound and likely permanent shift for the future of politics in the country. The ruling National Front (Barisan Nasional – BN) government had retained power, particularly in the last decade or so, primarily through a system of rigged electoral […]
Just a couple of short weeks ago, President Donald Trump’s nay-sayers were having to re-think on his Korea strategy and, potentially, his wider unorthodox political style. Perhaps, they were being forced to ask themselves, his brinksmanship really was responsible for what is looking like a rapprochement between North and South Korea and potentially the denuclearization […]
The following is a first draft except from a book on politics in developing countries currently being written: The economic and strategic rise of China can be argued to be a relatively normal phenomenon, making up for a long decline in what, historically, has been a major world power. Similarly, the relative decline of the […]