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Sholto Byrnes

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Sholto Byrnes is an East Asian affairs columnist for The National

Why criticisms of BRI are nothing more than Chinese whispers

Doubts regarding the Belt and Road Initiative are both counterfactual and counterproductive

October 21, 2020

Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim sounded confident of having enough support to form a new government in Malaysia. Bloomberg

Malaysia's personality-driven politics has become highly unstable

Even if Anwar Ibrahim ousts Muhyiddin Yassin to become prime minister, his coalition will be just as rickety for him to govern effectively

October 14, 2020

US President Donald Trump with China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing during pleasanter times in 2017. Reuters

How Trump scores over Obama in the Asia-Pacific

Amid the chaos of his presidency, the current incumbent's defence policy vis-a-vis the region has been clear, concise and consistent

October 6, 2020

Anti-government protesters take part in a pro-democracy rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok on 24 September, to demand a new constitution. Mladen Antonov / AFP

Thailand protesters want an end to the political instability

The current demonstrations are about rejuvenating Thai democracy

September 29, 2020

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 75th General Assembly of the United Nations will be mostly held virtually. EPA

If we could make the UN from scratch in 2020, how would we do it?

The organisation is in dire need of restructuring. There are some good ideas on how

September 22, 2020

Protesters hold a banner with a message criticising former Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos during a demonstration in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, 11 September. Dela Pena/ EPA

Why the Marcos Day bill has triggered protests in the Philippines

The second most corrupt politician of all time, former president Marcos's name remains forever disgraced

September 15, 2020

Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron have both questioned the role of Nato in today's complicated world – and rightly so. EPA

What is Nato good for?

The military alliance is seeing its members' values diverge, but in security matters maybe values aren't everything

September 9, 2020

In this 2016 photo, Chinese missile frigate Yuncheng launches an anti-ship missile during a military exercise in the waters near China's Hainan Island and Paracel Islands. Tensions continue to rise between China and the US in this part of the world. AP Photo

Washington tells South-East Asians to pick a side

The US wants the region to gang up on China, but such ideas are fantasy

September 1, 2020

US Vice President Joe Biden during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on February 25, 2009.. The mark on Mr Biden's head is from Christian worship services ashes from the first day of Lent. AFP

Why do we shy away from talking about a politician's religion?

US presidential candidate Joe Biden wears his spiritual beliefs on his sleeve, and that's worth paying attention to

August 25, 2020

Rather than trying to understand where Dr David Starkey's thinking comes from, people have cancelled him. Shutterstock

Know your culture war enemy, but try not to hate them

People of opposing viewpoints need to see humanity in one another

August 19, 2020

Protesters attend a rally near the Presidential Palace in Manila, Philippines in 2013. Seven years ago, hundreds of militants landed in Sabah, leading to deadly clashes with Malaysian security personnel. AP Photo

Why are there so many territorial disputes in Asia?

Whatever its colonial and pre-colonial legacies, the world's growth engine needs to move on

August 4, 2020

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is attempting to put together a coalition of democracies to keep China's rise in check. AFP

The flaw in the US plan to rally democracies against China

Washington is trying to build a coalition of the world's democracies as if they all have the same ideals, systems and goals

July 29, 2020

International students rally at the Massachusetts State House in Boston earlier this month against a US move to ban foreign students. Getty Images

Why it's cruel to treat foreign students like a political football

The idea of a university is meant to be inclusive, generous and collaborative – everything the current diplomatic spats over its pupils are not

July 21, 2020

A campaign poster showing Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of the incumbent People's Action Party on a lamp post ahead of the general election in Singapore last Friday. EPA

Singapore's election results show its politics may be at the crossroads

Opposition inroads suggest people want the public square, long dominated by the ruling party, further opened

July 14, 2020

Robert Clive receiving the land revenues of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1765. Benjamin West

Anti-racism means remembering colonialism's legacy in Asia, too

Former imperial powers must be cognisant of their actions not just in Africa but also in the East

July 7, 2020

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