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Melbourne Asia Review is a research-based publication of the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne.
The geopolitics of undersea cables in the Indo-Pacific
Undersea cables underpin global communication and the digital economy, with most data travelling via these largely hidden transoceanic routes. However, this critical multi-billion-dollar infrastructure faces increasing risks.
As Vietnam scales the global value chain, what does it mean for its workers?
Vietnam’s economic expansion has reshaped its labour market, creating higher-skilled jobs but also challenges such as wage stagnation and worker abuse.
The outsized influence of the military in Pakistan’s politics
What does the imbalance between civilian institutions and the military mean for Pakistan’s democratic development?
Iran’s strategy of outsourcing warfare in the Middle East
Iran has a network of proxy militant groups across the broader Middle East to project power while maintaining plausible deniability. But how much control does Iran really have over these forces and what are the risks?
What China’s ambitions in Pakistan mean for Baloch aspirations and identity
Straddling the boundaries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, the Baloch people have long endured as a distinct ethnic group whose aspirations have been overshadowed by the ambitions of larger state actors.