The Australian government’s proposal for an independent international enquiry on the COVID 19 crisis is a much-needed constructive initiative.
Advantage Asia: Social Cohesion as King in the COVID 19 Era
Social cohesion will be critical in this new world of the COVID 19 crisis. Asia’s case proves that social cohesion is Janus-faced, working in two opposite directions.
How COVID 19 Hits Bad Governments
COVID 19 is especially dangerous for people with pre-existing conditions. It also strikes countries with pre-existing bad governments with particular severity.
Mahathir’s Malaysian Mayhem
The relentless horse trading among Malay politicians has not only undone the result of the 2018 election, but seemingly put an end to a genuinely multi-ethnic coalition.
China Vs. Indonesia: Intra-Asian Power Games
Beyond the constant strife with the U.S., China’s assertion of global powers runs into increasing resistance even by normally acquiescent Asian nations.
India’s New Sense of Nation: Not a Hindu Thing
Media reports about India’s new citizenship rules and its impact on Muslim minorities swings between the tendentious, the comical and the absurd.
India Has a Modi and a BJP Problem
Modi’s initiative is undermining the very idea of India as a secular and multicultural liberal society.
Beyond Hong Kong: Unrest in Indonesia
The once reformist President Joko Widodo, now in his second term, gets swallowed up by the bureaucracy and overall Indonesian politics.
Two Chinas: Hong Kong and Shanghai
The people of Hong Kong are fighting a very courageous battle against very long odds. Meanwhile, people in Shanghai live well under a Faustian bargain with the CCP.

























