By Vannarith Chheang
The ASEAN–Japan relationship today is almost unrecognisable from that of 50 years ago when riots against the visits of former Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka to Southeast Asian capitals were emblematic of its troubled state. Japan’s current benign role in ASEAN belies what has been a powerful alignment of interests and influence assiduously developed over
US President Joe Biden’s administration came into office with a pledge of normalcy, and its Middle East policy has largely hewed to a “normal” US administration. It is pro-Israeli, it is concerned about Iran and it is generally accommodating to the Arab Gulf states. And yet, the Biden administration’s policy is markedly different from its predecessors.
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Over three months after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed mutiny, in which the former Putin ally marched on Moscow with thousands of his troops, the consequences for Russia and its president are beginning to crystalise. While Putin’s position seems safe for now, his domestic aura of invincibility has been shattered, and the geopolitical consequences of a weak Russian leader are multi-fold.
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