Inquiries
Melbourne Asia Review is a research-based publication of the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne.
How can Sri Lanka hedge between India and China?
Sri Lanka recently found itself caught in a diplomatic tussle between China and India over the planned visit of Chinese naval vessel. India opposed the visit because it considers the vessel a spy ship, while China maintains that it’s a research vessel. This is one example of how Sri Lanka must walk the line between Asia’s two largest powers.
What will it take to end the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan?
Afghanistan is struggling with a humanitarian crisis with more than a million severely malnourished children, massive unemployment, and runaway inflation. What will it take to stave off the nation’s collapse?
The human cost of South Korea’s era of transnational adoption
Since the 1950s but peaking in the 1980s, an estimated 200,000 South Korean babies and children have been adopted into mainly white families in western nations, leaving a trail of fractured identities.
Contrasting memories of Japanese colonisation in Korea and Taiwan
Taiwan and Korea were colonised by Imperial Japan for much of the first half of the 20th century. While North and South Korea still have a deep resentment towards Japan, Taiwan does not. Why the difference?
Mindful of power: Politics and nationalism in Buddhist-majority societies
While non-violence may be central to Buddhism, there are growing accounts of human rights abuses in nations such as Myanmar and Sri Lanka, often carried out in the name of Buddhism.