By Heather Lynne Taylor-Strauss, Tom Becker & and Sarah Odelé-Gruau Molero* BANGKOK | 2 March 2026 (IDN) — Foreign direct investment is not just a measure of economic confidence; it is one of the most powerful tools the Asia-Pacific region has to finance sustainable development, build resilient infrastructure and create quality jobs. The region witnessed […]
Africa Is Not a Chessboard
Those who recognize this will help shape the future By Ramesh Jaura This article first appeared on rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 24 February 2026 (WorldView) — From a European vantage point, with transatlantic ties on shaky ground, the recent African Union Summit in Addis Ababa felt less like a formal gathering and more like a seismic […]
FIJI: As Sugar Industry Declines, Vanua Levu Is poised for Ecotourism-led Transformation
By Riya Bhagawan* MACUATA, Fiji | 23 February 2026 (IDN/Wansolwara) — Long seen as a quiet, small, and tranquil town nestled among lush mountains with a simple, peaceful lifestyle, Macuata is now rapidly evolving and positioning itself as a centre of attraction in Fiji’s second largest island of Vanua Levu with a population of 160,000. […]
Implications of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Parliamentary Supermajority
Resurrection of Bushidō into a tool for Japanese ultra-nationalism & military expansionism? By Purnaka L. de Silva* NEW YORK | 22 February 2026 (IDN) — Japan’s acquisition of a parliamentary supermajority under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s landslide election victory marks a qualitative shift in the country’s political trajectory with significant implications for regional security, historical reconciliation, […]
Elections in Thailand — More of the Same?
By Jan Servaes BANGKOK, Thailand | 11 February 2026 (IDN) — During early general elections on Sunday, February 8, 2026, Thai voters elected a new 500-seat House of Representatives and voted in a national referendum on drafting a new constitution to replace the military-backed 2017 constitution. Approximately 60 political parties participated in these elections. Four […]
As Myanmar’s Civil War Drives Global Scam Industry, Human Rights May Need Rethink
*By Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK. | 23 January 2026 (IDN) —With Myanmar’s three-stage elections hitting the home stretch later this week on Sunday, ending the country’s civil war may need to take center stage in the post-election period. It is fueling a global scam industry that is destabilizing not only the Southeast Asian region, but also […]
Diving Deep into Natural Disasters: Real or Fake?
By Fathima Kadhija Mohamed* TOKYO | 26 December 2025 (IDN) — The recent rise in natural disasters worldwide has inflicted serious damage on infrastructure and economies across several nations—from typhoons and floods devastating South Asia and Africa to wildfires in Iran, Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean, and spontaneous earthquakes across Asia. Yet while these disasters […]
The End of America; So Is The Future For Asia?
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS, Belgium | 18 December 2025 (IDN) — “We Americans have never been very good at managing empire. It is not one of our skill sets. But what is coming next may be a great deal worse than the naïve and incompetently managed American empire of the past eighty years. We may […]
As Rich Countries Poach Their Medical Professionals, Sri Lanka’s Health System Struggles To Help Flood Victims
*By Kalinga Seneviratne COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 16 December 2025 (IDN) — The ongoing exodus of health professionals to greener pastures abroad has critically weakened Sri Lanka’s healthcare system, and significantly impacted its ability to provide effective medical relief during the recent devastating floods caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The mass migration of doctors, specialist consultants, […]
Modi and Putin Send Clear Message To Trump
By Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK, Thailand | 8 Dec 2025 (IDN)– By unveiling an ambitious Economic Cooperation Program aimed at expanding bilateral trade and investment till 2030, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a clear message to the US President Donald Trump that India-Russia relations are iron-clad, no matter what […]