HUNTER MARSTON 4 March 2020 Lowy Institute Hate speech and extremist ideology are on the rise as partiesvie for votes, and more violence could be the consequence. Ethnic and religious nationalism has increasingly gripped Myanmar since intercommunal violence broke out between Burmese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in 2012. Viral disinformation, including videos of alleged terrorist attacks and anti-Rohingya
READ MOREby Farkhondeh Akbari 26 February 2020 Bitter experience shows that a “rotten compromise”will carry within it the seeds of future war. Albert Einstein warned humanity to beware of rotten compromises. Philosopher Avishai Margalit sought to explain this warning in an entire book. With the US and the Taliban poised to sign a peace agreement, now
READ MOREby Adnan Aamir 6 February 2020 The Chinese-run port in Pakistan, a vital part of thebelt-and-road plan, may have found a path to success. On a sunny Tuesday in the third week of January, a cargo ship named Diyala docked at Gwadar seaport, in south-west Pakistan. The enthusiastic port staff quickly unloaded the cargo. When the
READ MORENatasha Jha Bhaskar 29 January 2020 Forging consensus on global problems is key, and the best way to find common ground is by talking. Created in 2016, the Raisina Dialogue has quickly become India’s premier event on foreign policy and strategic affairs, with the aim to increase engagement of global actors with Asia and of
READ MOREJJ Rose 29 January 2020 This week’s ruling at the International Court ofJustice delivered a stern rebuke, but it won’t stick. One would think that, after 100 years, the International Court of Justice would know about administering international justice. To the extent that the “world court” does or doesn’t understand international justice really depends on
READ MOREBy Edmond Roy December 16, 2019 A new law that threatens to exclude Muslims from citizenshipupends the idea of a nation built on liberty and equality. It’s a testament to India’s founding fathers that the country is home to more than 200 million Muslims, and it has been a source of pride for many Indians
READ MOREThe election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa augurs a return to theabuses and anti-democratic tendencies of his brother’s regime. 26 Nov 2019 www.lowyinstitute.org Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sworn in as president of Sri Lanka on 18 November. He served as secretary to the ministry of defense when his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, ruled the country, from 2005 to 2015.
READ MORECHRISTOPHER SNEDDEN 26 September 2019 Is this just more chest-beating by India’s politicians,or speculation we should take seriously? Increasingly, we are seeing reports that senior Indian politicians want India to obtain what New Delhi calls “Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir” (POK). It’s hard to know how seriously to take such remarks. Some Indians certainly aspire to reunify India
READ MORERUTH GAMBLE ALEXANDER DAVIS 14 August 2019 The planned dissolution not only creates a regionaldisturbance, but tips the balance against minority rights. The mixed reaction to the Indian government’s planned dissolution of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, which has been approved and will take place on 31 October this year, demonstrates yet again the
READ MORENatasha Jha Bhaskar 31 July 2019 The WTO fight over India’s sugar subsidies is a chance forNew Delhi to encourage farmers into more profitable crops. Over the past few months, sugar has featured prominently in India’s political and economic discussion. Countries such as Australia, Brazil and Guatemala are upset with the Indian government’s subsidies to
READ MOREMahmoud Pargoo 10 July 2019 Hardliners in Tehran might underestimate Washington’sreluctance to fight while overestimating their control at home. Iran has announced that it has exceeded its enriched uranium limit under the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. This follows the decision in May 2018 when the Trump
READ MOREPeter McCawley Some projects will succeed. Others will fail. And in theend, China will likely find the political gain is quite mixed. 10 Jul 2019 China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) continues to attract much comment. To some, it is a threat – proof that China’s aim is to extend Chinese global influence. To
READ MOREAnthony Kleven 8 May 2019 In Beijing’s scramble for Africa, history is repeating and locals are once again missing out. Although China’s top-ranking diplomat Yang Jiechi has repeatedly assured the world that his country’s supreme foreign policy project, the Belt and Road (BRI), “does not play little geopolitical games”, many governments believe this is exactly what
READ MOREAndrew Selth 8 May 2019 Despite criticisms, sanctions and embargoes, Myanmar isstrengthening military ties with neighbours and friends. It has been more than two years since military “clearance operations” against Myanmar’s Rohingyas began in October 2016. Since then, the international community has relied on public criticism, unilateral sanctions and a range of measures in the
READ MORE