Showing 1 - 10 of 13
China military purge exposes Xi's unease
News, John J Metzler, Published on 14/02/2026
» Strange and mysterious events are transpiring inside the walls of Beijing's Forbidden City. In the massive nearby government compound Zhongnanhai there's a clear unease as Communist Party Chief and military supremo Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has shuffled the political cards in the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), by purging his two top generals.
Why tourists baulk
Postbag, Published on 28/06/2025
» Re: "Israeli market poised to contract amid war", (Business, June 21).
US hard power must get harder
Oped, Todd G. Buchholz & Michael Mindlin, Published on 05/06/2025
» In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford gets his biggest laugh when a desert assassin twirls a scimitar with menacing bravado. Following this brief performance, Ford's character cracks a wry smile, takes out his pistol, and shoots the man dead. In a potential contest with China, the United States looks more like the medieval assassin, deploying young sailors and soldiers equipped with perilously outdated, vulnerable technology.
The Houthi threat to global shipping
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 28/03/2025
» Amidst the unpredictable arc of crisis shadowing the Middle East, the systemic and sustained merchant shipping attacks in the Red Sea persist. The culprits are a shadowy but lethal Iranian proxy force, the Houthis, who use their control of mountainous parts of the Yemeni coast to launch missile, drone and speedboat attacks on vital shipping lanes connecting the Mediterranean with the Gulf of Aden.
Tackling the global divide over the Ukraine war
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 17/03/2025
» At a time of rising geopolitical tensions and deepening global fragmentation, the Ukraine war has proved particularly divisive. From the start, the battle lines were clearly drawn: Russia on one side, Ukraine and the West on the other, and much of the Global South hoping only for the conflict to end. Now, however, alignments are shifting. Whether this will advance efforts to resolve the conflict and strengthen global stability remains to be seen.
Zelensky-Trump clash spurs rethink by US allies
News, Peter Apps, Published on 10/03/2025
» As they watched Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky evicted from the White House last week after an unprecedented live televised quarrel with President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance, some of America's closest allies began to swiftly reappraise decades of foreign and defence policy.
Border disputes need a smarter path
News, Sally Tyler, Published on 27/02/2025
» Though I live in Washington, DC, I generally spend some time each year in Thailand. When I visited recently, I was interested in noting the renewed controversy around the MOU 44 with Cambodia concerning Koh Kut and the overlapping claims area. While there are obvious parallels with the Preah Vihear conflict, using the dispute surrounding the celebrated temple complex as a guide for an effective resolution in Koh Kut will prove unsatisfactory for all parties.
Ukraine's fate is now hanging in the balance
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 20/02/2025
» Three years into Russia's war against Ukraine, there seems to be a chance for peace. But this political intermezzo may be as fleeting as the approaching spring weather to soon sweep the steppes, yet at the same time, it remains a worthwhile window of opportunity for all parties to reach a ceasefire and then begin the long and perilous quest for peace.
Trump ready with Asean policy 2.0
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 21/01/2025
» Last week's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing for Senator Marco Rubio was very insightful, especially regarding comments related to US-Asean relations. Mr Rubio demonstrated knowledge about Asean and the need for flexibility in engaging with the countries in the region. His comments have also calmed surging concerns over a potential tariff hike under the Trump administration. Certainly, he is expected to be confirmed and replace Antony Blinken as Secretary of State.