Since entering office on 30 June, the new Filipino President, Rodrigo Duterte, haslaunched a ruthless anti-drugs campaign that has resulted in thousands of deaths. With no end in sight in the short term, the tally of drug-related deaths by security forces and vigilante groups is likely to increase, writes Mandira Bagwandeen
The recent Filipino military offensive against theAbu Sayyaf Group has failed to rein in the latest spateof attacks and kidnappings in the southern Philippines,writes Mandira Bagwandeen
Asia Pacific analysts, Mandira Bagwandeen and Ashleigh Somaroo, discuss the key risks and trends over 2017. Various threats to Chinese investment, driven by the ‘One-Belt, One Road' (OBOR) development strategy, are on the horizon while regional tensions look set to rise. Specifically, China-Taiwan, inter-Korean and India-Pakistan relations are likely…
Asia Pacific analysts, Mandira Bagwandeen and Ashleigh Somaroo, look at the key policy issues that are likely to impact kidnapping and extortion in the region. In the Philippines, the government's crackdown on the country's illegal drug trade is being undermined by police-led extortion. In India, President Narendra Modi's administration is seeking…
The proposed deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence missile defence system in South Korea in 2017 is likely to exacerbate regional tensions, particularly with China. It is also set to deepen domestic political tensions in South Korea ahead of the upcoming presidential elections, writes Rob Attwell
Recent high-profile kidnappings in Malaysia have highlighted the difficulty of combatingtransnational criminal gangs operating in the country, writes Rob Attwell.
A recently released Islamic State (IS) propaganda video explicitly threatened to target China in future attacks. While the group's focus on China is concerning, the primary terrorism threat in China and to Chinese interests abroad will continue to be posed by transnational terrorist groups from Xinjiang Province. However, competition resulting from…
Predictions of impending nuclear war between the two powers are overblown. The US is likely to pursue a rapprochement with China and will renew calls for economic sanctions in a bid to secure a diplomatic solution. As such, US policy under President Trump will be an intensification of Washington's existing North Korea strategy. Only in the long-term…
The conviction of former Jakarta governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, on blasphemy charges has polarised Indonesian society along religious and ethnic lines, and has highlighted the power of divisive religious identity politics, writes Rob Attwell
The ongoing conflict in Marawi City highlights growing concerns regarding the cooperation between various Islamic State-aligned groups and an increasing number of foreign fighters in the region, writes Rob Attwell
The kidnapping, and killing, of two Chinese nationals by Islamic State (IS) militants was a rare incident, but it renews fears about Chinese workers' safety in the volatile Balochistan province, writes Saif Islam.