The election success means Abe is stronger than ever. Post-election polls showed parties in favour of amending the US-drafted charter carried nearly 80 per cent of the seats in the lower house election. Never before have Japanese politicians been so vocally in favour of military reform. Read Here – South China Morning Post
Donald Trump’s national security adviser issued a stark warning the day before the President left Washington for a critical swing through Asia: “We’re running out of time.” …That sobering backdrop makes Trump’s 13-day trip through the region — where he will meet with key players and get a firsthand view of the North Korean nuclear threat — the […]
Nearly five months on, the “crisis” between Qatar and a coalition of nine countries led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has reached a relatively stable equilibrium. The countries’ resultant blockade of Qatar – over its alleged support for terrorist groups and ties to Iran – has not significantly changed Doha’s behaviour according […]
As the Trump administration works out the specifics of its strategy to contain Iran, China is looking for ways to bring Iran into the global system. After the recent party congress, which cemented President Xi Jinping’s grip on power, those efforts will likely take the form of the completion of his most ambitious foreign policy plan, the […]
It’s not unusual for a laptop or external hard drive to house a bunch of old photos and documents, assorted GIFs and memes, home videos, pirated software and movies, and some porn. But when those things show up among infamous terrorist leader Osama bin Laden’s digital files, it’s worth a closer look. Read Here – Wired
Donald Trump is kicking off an Asia tour next week that includes a two-day state visit to China starting Nov. 8. At the top of the agenda for his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping is, of course, North Korea and trade—two items that, in Trump’s mind, can be traded against each other. Read Here – […]
A growing number of economists are joining the chorus forecasting the arrival of a stronger Chinese economy under President Xi Jinping – a stark contrast from a year ago, when China was seen as a source of instability for the world. Although Beijing has delivered scant evidence that it is taming its debt mountain, the optimists […]
Various Western intellectuals, ranging from Thomas Friedman to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, have argued over the past decades that Muslims need their own Martin Luther to save themselves from intolerance and dogmatism. The Protestant Reformation that Luther triggered exactly 500 years ago, these intellectuals suggest, can serve as a model for a potential Muslim Reformation. But is there such […]
Around 11% of Japan’s land is “unclaimed” — plots that cannot be traced back to their owners. The figure is expected to jump to 19% by 2040, according to an expert study group. To put that into perspective, currently 41,000 sq km of land, equivalent to the Japanese island of Kyushu, or slightly smaller than […]
China is working on an incredibly ambitious water diversion project involving the Brahmaputra, one of India’s largest rivers, which may become another point of tension between the two Asian neighbours. Chinese engineers are testing techniques that could be used to build a 1,000-kilometre (km) tunnel—the world’s longest—to carry water from Tibet to Xinjiang, a barren […]
looking beyond borders 