Author: Peter Drysdale, Editor, EAF

The assassination of Osama bin Laden the weekend before last, some say, may make little difference in the battle against international terrorism, but in many ways it is a major turning-point in international affairs.

For one thing, it brings some closure for Americans to September 11 after a decade of desire for some kind of retribution. Read more…

Author: Raza Agha, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Mohsin Khan, Peterson Institute

The killing of Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on the night of 2 May has raised a host of questions about the implications of the operation for Pakistan.

First, for the US the main question is how the most wanted terrorist in the world could have hidden ‘in plain sight’ in Pakistan for five to six years. Read more…

Author: Ming Hwa Ting, University of Adelaide

An unfortunate consequence of Japan’s nuclear disaster in Fukushima is that global enthusiasm for nuclear energy has been diminished, at least in the short-term.

And an often overlooked side effect here is the likely spike in demand for rare metals. Read more…

Author: Peter Hayes, Nautilus Institute and RMIT

In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, Korea — a tiny nation festooned with reactors in the South and one small light water reactor under construction in the North — has some serious thinking to do on the nuclear front.

The South’s ambitious reactor expansion plan no longer seems viable and the safe storage of spent fuel rods must also be reconsidered. Read more…

Author: Evan A. Feigenbaum, CFR

India has concluded a raft of trade agreements — with Japan, South Korea, ASEAN, and many others — and it looks set to launch negotiations for many more. But the United States is the forgotten player, in part because Washington has yet to sort out its own trade priorities with India.

First, the good news: US-India trade has grown rapidly, more than doubling from 2004 to around US$66 billion in goods and services trade in 2008. Read more…

Author: Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University

It is now widely known that the government watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, in a report tabled before Parliament last year, revealed that the Indian exchequer may have lost as much as US$39 billion because of a flawed 2G spectrum auction.

As a consequence of the CAG report, the then Minister of Telecommunications, Andimuthu Raja, is now under arrest and facing possible prosecution. Read more…

Author: Aidan Foster-Carter, Leeds University

What was billed as April’s main event in North Korea turned out to be a damp squib.

Former US president Jimmy Carter paid his third visit to Pyongyang; this time on behalf of ‘The Elders’, a group of elder statesmen founded by Nelson Mandela. Read more…

Author: K Kesavapany, ISEAS

Barring the defeat of three ministers, including the multi-talented Foreign Minister George Yeo, the General Election on 7 May was a victory for Singapore and Singaporeans.

The People’s Action Party (PAP) was returned to power with a credible 60.1 per cent of the vote in a promise of economic growth and political stability in the next five years. With 81 out of the 87 seats in Parliament, the Government will enjoy a strong electoral mandate on which to plan and pursue policies decisively for the long term. Read more…

Author: Peter Warr, ANU

It has finally been announced that Thailand’s general election will be held on 3 July.

The election will be pivotal. Hopes are high that it may determine the next government amid little or no violence and thus resolve Thailand’s policy direction for the next several years. Read more…

Author: Andy Yee, Hong Kong

In June 2011, Astana, Kazakhstan will host the jubilee summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Over the past 10 years, the SCO has institutionalised economic, political and security cooperation among its members. Read more…

Author: Sandy Gordon, ANU

India and China are Asian mega-population powers. Each has enviable economic growth rates, but each also has a mega-sized problem with corruption — and each is handling it differently.

Corruption in India is nothing new. But recent accusations appear to place India in the same class as Africa’s worst kleptocracies. Read more…

Author: Evelyn Goh, University of London

That China is one of the most powerful states in the world is no longer a contested claim, but cataloguing China’s increasing material resources does not in itself demonstrate that China is powerful.

A more telling question is how effectively does China convert its growing resources into influence over other states’ strategic choices and the outcomes of events? Read more…

Author: Andrew Phillips, ANU

A revolution in energy consumption is sweeping Asia. Rapid economic growth in China and India has yielded a corresponding spike in their energy consumption.

Despite the welcome surge of prosperity from this growth, the Asian energy revolution has the potential to seriously exacerbate states’ energy security concerns, imperilling strategic stability, and, ultimately, regional prosperity Read more…

Author: Philippa Dee, ANU and Shiro Armstrong, ANU, Columbia University

The Doha Development Round of World Trade Organisation trade negotiations is in deep trouble and could become the first Round to fail.

What will happen if Doha fails? Read more…

Authors: Richard Baldwin and Simon Evenett, Vox EU

The world trade system is at an historical fork: WTO members must make a choice.

Key decisions will be taken in discussions that start with the 29th April 2011 meeting of the Doha Round’s steering committee and that will continue for the coming weeks (assuming that this Friday’s meeting avoids an acrimonious breakdown). Read more…