: Super User; Region; 24 April 2012; Hits: 1426

A Tug of War Over National icons

EARLIER this month, when Australian television hosts offered Pineapple Lumps to a visiting British boy band, describing them as “an Aussie delicacy”, New Zealanders were outraged.

: Super User; Region; 06 March 2012; Hits: 1428

Aussie Political History not on Gillard's Side

IN THE wake of a leadership ballot last week that saw Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard win a vote of confidence from her parliamentary colleagues, the nation’s top business trade union leaders have been calling for the government to refocus on running the country. Unfortunately, history suggests that this will be far easier said than done.

: Super User; Region; 01 March 2012; Hits: 1259

Debate over Nuclear Power is Far From Over

“THE whole debate is really about national pride and religious sentiment,” Greenpeace spokesman Arif Fiyanto told me in Jakarta last week. He was referring to a proposal to build nuclear power plants to help solve Indonesia’s perennial electricity shortage.

: Super User; Region; 12 February 2012; Hits: 1341

One Step forward, three Steps back for PNG

JUST as it looked as if impoverished Papua New Guinea (PNG) was about to become a favoured investment destination, a series of events last month underlined just how politically risky the country really is.

: Super User; Region; 10 January 2012; Hits: 1162

Grim Reality Facing Australia's Armed Forces

LAST week, when the US announced sweeping defence spending cuts in an effort to trim its fiscal deficit, Australia woke to a grim reality. Coming as it does after earlier reductions, there is now the distinct possibility that the US may soon be unable to fight two determined adversaries simultaneously in different parts of the world.

Key Political Risks

Asia is the fastest growing region in the world, and is likely to remain so in 2013. However, a number of risks cloud the picture.

The good news is that domestic demand in the region remains strong and should continue to cushion the impact of weaker external demand on overall economic growth. The completion of national elections in Japan and South Korea in December 2012 should also help reduce political uncertainties.

But Asian governments will need to guard against the adverse impact of prolonged easy financial conditions on inflation.

Rising inequality also continues to threaten social stability. Ethnic and religious rivalries remain just below the surface in many countries. When combined with government corruption and (in some countries) high youth unemployment, this could become a deadly mix. This seems particularly true of China.

Territorial disputes also require close monitoring. Much diplomatic activity in the new year is likely to be centered on finding ways to reduce tensions over resource-rich islands in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims overlap with those of Japan, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian states. South Korea and Japan also have rival territorial claims.

North Korea remains the wild card. Inclined to believe its own propaganda, Pyongyang's new leadership could miscalculate, making belligerent moves that plunge the region into a military conflict that nobody wants.