Regions
  • ARTICLES

    The Price of Freedom: Ransom Reform in the US

    Despite claims by the media that the recent directive on kidnappings legalises privateransom payments to terrorist groups in the US, it seems that the policy has sidestepped the issue, writes Lara Sierra-Rubia.

  • ARTICLES

    Japanese Security Reforms: Allowing the JSDF to Flex its Muscles

    Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, has sought to implement security reforms that will allow the country's defence forces to assume a more prominent role in regional and international peace and security matters. However, an expanded and more robust defence force could heighten the risks for Japanese businesses and nationals abroad, writes Mandira Bagwandeen.… 

  • ARTICLES

    Indonesia Rising

    Indonesia, one of the largest economies in Southeast Asia, is taking steps to lure foreign investors, writes Anna Beare.

  • ARTICLES

    Alibaba Looks West

    As Alibaba increases its presence in the US, what questions does it raise about the company's overall strategy in the country? Asks Anna Beare.

  • ARTICLES

    Game On: Southeast Asia's Growing Mobile Gaming Industry

    Southeast Asia is capturing the attention of mobile game developers, due to a young population and improvements in telecommunication infrastructure networks. Despite e-payment difficulties and language and cultural barriers, the demand for mobile games is set to increase, writes Mandira Bagwandeen.

  • ARTICLES

    Precious Cargo: Oil Tanker Hijackings in Southeast Asia

    A resurgence in organised hijackings of small fuel tankers in Southeast Asian waters not only highlights a growing sophistication of piracy in the region but also suggests that counter piracy operations are facing several challenges, writes Mandira Bagwandeen.

  • ARTICLES

    Business as Usual? Elections in Central Asia

    Presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev and Islam Karimov's recent electoral victories in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were expected. While business seems to be continuing as usual in these countries, the succession question is becoming increasingly important, especially in light of socio-economic challenges and broader geopolitical dynamics, writes Saif Islam.… 

  • ARTICLES

    Friends or foes? NATO-Russia tensions in Europe's backyard

    NATO-Russia relations have reached a new low amid ongoing tensions in Eastern Europe. Mutual suspicion of each other's interests in the region underscore long-standing obstacles for Euro-Atlantic cooperation, write Lara Sierra-Rubia and Saif Islam.

  • ARTICLES

    The Pen and the Sword: Europe after Charlie Hebdo

    The series of attacks in France in early January underscores the complex threat of terrorism in Europe, with overseas Islamist extremist groups' calls for further attacks likely to be taken up by a ‘leaderless resistance', writes Lara Sierra-Rubia.