Calls for a COVID ‘kava bubble’ as supply from Pacific to Australia dries up
Kava-crisis - With little of the homemade Pacific brew available in Australia, prices have skyrocketed, and there’s been a spike in seizures at the border Read More
2020
Regional wrap | 60
India invites Australia to Malabar. Japanese PM Suga's Southeast Asian outreach. Thai protests take a serious turn. Read this and more from Aakriti Bachhawat in Regional Wrap. Read More
From the Forum Foreign Ministers…
Last week, the Foreign Ministers of the Pacific Islands Forum met as one of the standing committees of the inter-governmental organisation. Dr Tess Newton Cain shares her insights. Read More
Southeast Asia Snapshot #5
South East Asia Snapshot with Dr Lucy West - Indonesia and Japan to strengthen security ties. Vietnam and Japan confirm defence deal. Thai authorities censor protests. Read More
Duelling diplomacy over Southeast Asia’s most important river
Despite climate change and the cost hydropower dams, Mekong River nations will find it difficult to turn away from China. Read More
Weekly Pacific Bulletin | 21 October
New security centre to be located in Vanuatu The government of Australia has announced that its Fusion Centre will be homed in Vanuatu. The Centre… Read More
Trump took a sledgehammer to US-China relations. This won’t be an easy fix, even if Biden wins
Dr Hui Feng, shares his insights on US-China relations and why a new president won't fix the problem. Read More
Social media and democracy in the Philippines
The digitalisation of almost every aspect of civic life has brought forth a new constitutional moment. The hyper-connectivity of peoples in the digital space has… Read More
China’s image problem is worsening globally. It’s time for Beijing to consider a diplomatic reset
As the increasingly virulent anti-China rhetoric has made clear in recent months, China has not been very popular in countries like the US and Australia… Read More
COVID-19 rhetoric and governance in the Philippines
COVID-19 cases in Philippines continue to rise daily by the thousands. The continued high number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines is a result of internal governance malfunction and leadership failure. Read More
