Senior Adviser, Asialink
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The sinking of an Indonesian submarine in April was a stark reminder of the poor state of much of the country’s military hardware. Yohanes Sulaiman and Donald Greenlees argue presidential aspirant and defence minister Subianto faces one of his toughest tests in dragging the Indonesian military into the 21st century.
As foreign minister between 1988 and 1996, Gareth Evans steered Australian diplomacy through the end of the Cold War and into the brave new world represented by American ‘unipolarity’.
The coronavirus pandemic has exacted a huge human toll on Indonesia, placing strains on the health system and setting back years of work in poverty reduction. Asialink senior adviser Donald Greenlees argues what Australia now does to help its closest Asian neighbour meet both challenges will be long remembered.
Faced with the worst crisis in relations with China since the launch of formal diplomatic relations in 1972, Alexander Downer has some advice for managing the China relationship: Take a leaf out of the traditional playbook of Chinese diplomacy and “play the long game”.
By the time John Howard became prime minister on his second attempt in 1996, the conduct of Australia’s relations with Asia had become central to the political battle.