“Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia” by Clive Hamilton [Book Review]

“Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia” by Clive Hamilton [Book Review]

In January 2018, Australian Senator Sam Dastyari of the Labor Party resigned. It was the culmination of a year-long scandal involving foreign donations and influence peddling. In his support for China’s claims in the South China Sea, Dastyari disagreed with…

“The art form of the future”: an interview with Neal Goren

Clearly the music industry—not just opera—has undergone a lot of change recently. You’ve talked about chamber opera as the “art form of the future”. Is chamber opera better placed for the coming future? When you have a smaller ensemble, a…

Modernization and the the Mosuo: An interview with Choo Waihong

The book positions the Mosuo as one of the only, if not the only, matrilineal culture in China. What brought you to that region of China in the first place? And what does it mean in practice for the Mosuo…

“Classical music does not belong to the West”: an interview with soprano Lei Xu

What was your path to singing in Western opera? I started singing seriously when I was 17. I had loved singing since I was a little girl, but I had never considered it seriously until I was in high school….

The Ganges and India’s Future: an interview with Victor Mallet

What brought this book about? I arrived in India about five years ago. I’m pretty interested in rivers, and I was immediately fascinated by the Yamuna River, a big tributary of the Ganges that runs through the middle of Delhi….

Book Review: “Blood and Silk: Power and Conflict in Modern Southeast Asia” by Michael Vatikiotis

Book Review: “Blood and Silk: Power and Conflict in Modern Southeast Asia” by Michael Vatikiotis

Predictions for the future of Southeast Asia on the whole follow two different narratives. On the one hand, ASEAN is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and forty years of interstate peace along with it. The region’s economy is growing at breakneck…

Easternization: “A game-changer for not just the world economy, but also for international politics”

Could I ask you to quickly summarize the argument of your book? What is Easternization as a phenomenon? I think we’re coming to the end of about 500 years of Western domination of world affairs. It begins with the European…

“A significant deterioration of the political environment”: an interview with Michael Vatikiotis

How did you come to write Blood and Silk? What inspired you to write this longer journey through your time in Southeast Asia? In many ways, it’s premature. I’m nowhere near close to retirement or the end of my journey in…

“ASEAN has succeeded against all odds”: an interview with Professor Kishore Mahbubani

What do you believe are the core elements of the ASEAN model? What defines ASEAN and its principles, and what differentiates it from other regional organizations? I think the key differentiating factor within the ASEAN regional organization is its unique…

“Hong Kong in the Cold War” by Priscilla Roberts and John M Carroll (eds) [Book Review]

“Hong Kong in the Cold War” by Priscilla Roberts and John M Carroll (eds) [Book Review]

As a British colony straddling the line between the two Cold War camps, Hong Kong put the British government in a difficult position. In practical terms, the colony was indefensible. Thus, Britain needed to deter China from invading, often by…