Commentary

Myanmar military nuclear ambitions: Fact or fiction?

ANDREW SELTH  |    A front page story in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2009 confidently predicted that within five years Myanmar would have its… Read More

Pacific Outlook Bulletin | 27 September

Tess Newton Cain provides her regular review of what you need to know from the Pacific - leaders meet with US President Joe Biden, more turmoil in Vanuatu politics and other news from the region. Read More

What might Australia learn from the Nijjar affair and the breakdown in Canada–India relations?

IAN HALL | Justin Trudeau’s announcement that Canadian authorities suspect India had some role in the killing of Sikh separatist leader … Read More

Duelling battle networks: The new equilibrium

PETER LAYTON | With digital technology omnipresent, future major wars will most likely pivot around duelling battle networks. These complicated systems represent unique target sets best attacked through using system of system thinking and emerging ideas of cognitive warfare. Particularly given China’s “systems confrontation” focus, attacking battle networks is an idea that can’t be neglected. Time to think deeply about it. Read More

The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed

ANDREW SELTH  |    Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems facing the military regime. Some of these claims need to be treated very carefully. Read More

Southeast Asia snapshot #58

SOVINDA PO | Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam rejected China’s new map  China published a new version of its national map on… Read More

Regional Outlook | I Nogat Inap Polis Man na Meri: A police shortage in Papua New Guinea

SEAN JACOBS  | 30-MINUTE READ | Contents Download PDF Introduction Crime and the constabulary The problems of a… Read More

Privatising Poverty Series Part 9:  The cult of the entrepreneur

RON BEVACQUA  |  The prioritisation of innovation, productivity, and growth over income and wealth distribution; technology as savior; government as partner rather than regulator of the private sector; market-based solutions to social and economic problems; and the overall emphasis on individual initiative over collective action––this economic vision did not come from the political right as is often assumed. Read More

Finding a place for youth leadership in Australia’s new International Development Policy

HELEN BERENTS AND KATRINA LEE-KOO |  Asia and the Pacific are the most youthful regions of the world, with 25 per cent of their populations aged between 15 and 29. Combined, the two regions are home to 60 per cent of the world’s youth. Yet, in Australia’s new International Development Policy, young people are virtually absent as the agents and partners who can forge the region’s future. Read More

As Russia woos nations to support its war in Ukraine, will fault lines deepen around the globe?

MATTHEW SUSSEX | For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the mistaken belief that he could conquer much of Ukraine in a few days highlighted the depth of his hubris. Since then, his decision to continue the onslaught has revealed the ongoing practical costs to the Russian military. Now, Moscow’s attempt to meet those costs is also showing how the world is beginning to split along broad, albeit fuzzy, lines of competition that could resonate beyond the Ukraine war. Read More

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Our research focuses on the trade and business, politics, governance, security, economies and development of the Asia Pacific and their significance for Australia. Griffith University is committed to advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the region.