Authoritarian Asia

Alongside the global decline of democratisation, the spread of authoritarianism and deterioration of human rights in Southeast Asia continues at an accelerated pace.

A World Cup of two halves

The soccer World Cup takes place in Qatar, that famous hotbed of football fervour, in November this year, when human rights will be in the spotlight as much as England’s inevitable elimination on penalties in the semi-final.

The age of the strongman

A new book explains how aggressive personality cults built by authoritarian leaders threaten democracy around the world.

The west v the rest

The aggressive dictatorships of China and Russia are cosying up to whoever might help them confront the United States and its democratic allies, including the jihadists they still fear within their own borders.

Russia’s real enemy is Putin

“Russiaphobia’ means fear of Russia, not hatred of Russians, and is entirely rational given Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine and threats against the rest of Europe. The biggest enemy of Russian interests isn’t “Russiaphobia” but the monster in the Kremlin.

The year of “sportswashing”

2022 has been the stage for some of the world’s largest sporting events, but from February’s Beijing Winter Olympics to the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar they have been mired in political controversy.

A world divided between light and dark

The deepening division of the world between liberal democracies around the world and the aggressive dictatorships of Russia and China is forcing non-aligned nations to pick sides.

Vive la tour!

More spectators watch the Tour de France, the world’s greatest cycling race, than any other sporting event. This years tour promises another spectacular festival of racing, but how has it changed over the years?

A special envoy to ASEAN?

Appointing a special envoy to ASEAN would free up more of Penny Wong’s time to devote to the Pacific and Southeast Asia, signalling Australia’s acknowledgement of the region’s importance.

Dancing before storms – Five revolutions that changed the world

Five political revolutions, from the American revolution to the Russian revolution, offer lessons on how to manage the forces of political, economic and social change, according to a new book by Robert T. Harris.

Standing up the the strong men

The threat posed by authoritarian states demands a robust response from the world’s democracies and we must not allow their victims to fight on alone.

Choose freedom

The first Shangri-La Dialogue since 2019 is a chance for world leaders and ministers to discuss urgent and long-term international security questions, and underlined the need for the free world to stand up against authoritarian challenges.