Of the thirteen women who have headed their government or state in Asia, only one has no traceable connection to a notable political dynasty. While female leadership is progressive on the surface, Grace Underhill argues Asian countries must make significant strides to reap the manifold benefits of female-led societies.

The world needs to rethink the rules of international relations and the institutions needed to support them, writes Amitav Acharya. But he adds we need to make the rules more ‘democratic, de-centred, transparent and inclusive’.

In the turmoil of the Trump years, US-Japan relations were strained over everything from the cost of maintaining US forces in Japan to North Korea and China. Prof. Purnendra Jain argues the early signs from the Biden administration are promising and leaving Japan a little more confident in the value of its core security alliance.

Amid concerns over China’s rise, European countries are turning their gaze to Asia. Former diplomat John McCarthy says regional players like Japan and Australia must work with the Europeans to ensure the new Biden Administration gives more policy weight to the region, and especially Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asian states have so far avoided choosing sides in the growing US-China rivalry, seeking the benefits of good relations with both. But Indonesian analysts Yohanes Sulaiman, Mariane Delanova, and Rama Daru Jati argue the region’s biggest power will struggle to maintain the strategic middle ground.

Myanmar’s coup differs from those seen in the country’s troubled past and occurs under very different circumstances. Analyst Morten Pedersen argues responses must be different too: international actors need to prevent escalation to the point of no return and resist any temptation to force Myanmar’s armed forces back into isolation.

Faced with the twin economic challenges of COVID and Chinese trade sanctions, Australia needs to be investing in big ticket infrastructure to enhance competitiveness, writes Ross Muir. One such opportunity is in northern Australia.