Paul Widdop
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Moving past the Blue Diamond Affair: Saudi and Thai ties deepen
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On November 20th, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok as a guest of honor. For Riyadh, his appearance was indicative…
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Israel’s Upcoming Election: The View from Amman and Ramallah
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Jordan and Palestine are bracing themselves for Israel’s fifth election in just over three years, slated for November 1. Beyond Israel itself, these two countries are arguably most affected by…
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Capitalising on Covid: China’s health diplomacy in the Middle East
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In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, China’s Belt and Road Initiative has enabled the rising superpower to expand its sphere of influence in the Middle East. Much analysis of…
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Emerging space power in Central Asia: Kazakhstan at the crossroad
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After the disintegration of the USSR, Kazakhstan inherited a significant technological artefact of the Soviet space program, the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The management of the spaceport, from which the historically significant…
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Navigating Great Powers: Mongolia and Kazakhstan’s shared geopolitical uncertainties
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Though seldom analysed together, Mongolian and Kazakh foreign policies are connected today by nature of their shared experience of their two larger neighbours China and Russia. Mongolia and Kazakhstan have…
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What will be Labor’s policy on Palestine?
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With the Australian Labor Party’s (ALP) victory in the Australian parliamentary elections on May 21, some policy shifts could be imminent. This is not limited to foreign policy, a space…
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China and Iran: Unrecognised Potential and Opportunities
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Iran presents important opportunities for China’s regional and continental ambitions. It has one of the world’s largest proven reserves of oil and natural gas which is important to the famously…
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How Iraq became Iran’s cash cow
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With the October 2021 Iraqi Parliamentary elections recording the lowest ever voter turnout in post-2003 Iraq, there is little doubt that Iraq’s yet-to-be-announced next government already faces a legitimacy crisis.…
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Kazakhstan unrest: implications for Australian interests
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The abrupt and turbulent start of the year in Kazakhstan has engineered the conditions for a dual narrative to emerge. Firstly, the widespread violence and protests, coupled with Kazakhstan government’s…
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Counter-Sectarianism in Lebanon at a Crossroads
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On an early evening in late 2019, bells and sirens sounded throughout Beirut as thousands of Lebanese flooded the streets chanting, “down with the regime.” Simultaneously, buildings and blockades around…
