Headlines

New Australia defense strategy ignores US elephant in the room

Sometimes new government strategies really aren’t newsworthy. The 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) is like that. The biggest headline from the document is the additional defense spending of A$53 billion (US$38 billion) over the next decade, which the government claims (with

Asia

Hormuz standoff sets a tense tone for Trump-Xi meet

The Trump administration’s decision to carry out a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has raised tensions in the Persian Gulf to new and more perilous levels. The move was announced by the US president, Donald Trump, after negotiations over a ceasefire with Iran broke down

Asia

Strategic autonomy or ambiguity? India’s Gulf dilemma

There is a lively and, at times, sharply divided discourse in India today on its foreign policy choices over the Iranian crisis. At the center of this debate is a simple but uncomfortable question: Is India being prudently cautious, needlessly timid or has it devolved into

Asia

Democrats shouldn’t follow Republicans into the extremist swamp

The other day on X, leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker got into an argument with a commentator known as Swann Marcus. Marcus had scoffed at the notion of Piker trying to connect with blue-collar workers. In retaliation, Piker claimed that Marcus had written a “how to” manual

Asia

North Korea taking its nuclear threat to the high seas

North Korea’s missile test from its new Choe Hyon destroyer signals a shift toward a more flexible sea-based nuclear deterrent, as the regime compensates for submarine limitations. This month, multiple media outlets reported that North Korea test-fired two strategic cruise

Asia

Token inequality: AI haves and AI have-nots

Gemini was my preferred model for research a few months ago. So, was Grok. Recently, I asked one of them for serious research, accompanied by blunt exhortations on how it has been disappointing me repeatedly of late, along with examples of the quality of answers I needed. The

Asia