Silent Invasion: China’s sharp power undermining democracy
The mayor of an Australian city has admitted that, at the request of a Chinese official, its local council got rid of a Taiwanese flag that some school students painted… Read more »
Category: Asia
Malaysia poll confirms ‘no reason to give up on democracy’
As Malaysia’s most powerful man, Najib Razak worked hard to keep the public from accessing information about a multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB. Now they just might find… Read more »
Malaysia’s first transition: from kleptocracy to democracy
Malaysia’s king has agreed to pardon a politician whose case has gripped national politics for two decades, says new PM Mahathir Mohamad. Anwar Ibrahim (left), once considered a potential future… Read more »
Potemkin elections an ill omen for global democracy
This week’s tsumani-sized election shock in Malaysia does not necessarily augur well for forthcoming electoral contests elsewhere, observers suggest. In less than two weeks, Venezuela will conduct the latest in… Read more »
Malaysia’s tsunami unseats ‘kleptocracy at its worst’
Breaking six decades of rule by the Barisan Nasional coalition, Malaysia’s opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition, headed by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, won 113 of 222 parliamentary seats in yesterday’s poll…. Read more »
A ‘new global battle’ of ideas? Chinese ‘connectivity politics’ as sharp power
Under President Xi Jinping, China has established a distinct and global form of connectivity politics, say analysts Paul Kohlenberg and Nadine Godehardt: This includes investment in infrastructure and international lending,… Read more »
Can Indonesia help advance Middle East democracy?
A new factor has been inserted into the equation of political reform in Egypt: a dialogue between Egypt and Indonesia on promoting democracy, notes Giora Eliraz, the author of Islam in Indonesia:… Read more »
China ‘regressing on reform’: Beijing’s sharp power underscores need to promote liberalization
India and China are jostling for influence in Iran and Central Asia, Nikkei reports, as New Delhi’s 7,000km transport corridor cuts across Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. Prime Minister Narendra… Read more »
China’s sharp power: bullying its way into Europe
China has bought or invested in assets in Europe amounting to at least $318 billion over the past 10 years, Bloomberg reports, in the most comprehensive audit to date of… Read more »
North Korean activists endangered
Along the North Korean border, dozens of missionaries are engaged in work that puts them and their North Korean converts in danger. In recent years, 10 such front-line missionaries and… Read more »