Nuclear power development in the region faces questions about its economics and safety, as well as nuclear weapons non-proliferation. A key issue is whether countries will embark on sensitive segments of the fuel cycle. Australia should seek a focus on nuclear power and associated issues at the level of high policy discussion in regional forums...

This report presents 14 indicators on the progress of the ASEAN countries towards the goals of the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Where relevant, the report highlights changes in convergence and disparities over time, which are useful in analyzing progress in narrowing the development gap. This monitoring brief, which is an abridged...

Southeast Asia's oceans are fast running out of fish, putting the livelihoods of up to 100 million people at risk, leading to more illegal incursions into Australia's northern fisheries and putting the future of shared stocks between Australia and Southeast Asia at grave risk. This report looks at the sources of this depletion and what...

Carolin Liss of Murdoch University writes that 'combating piracy is a difficult and complex task, requiring more than the patrolling of piracy-prone waters.' Liss argues that five factors 'are of particular importance in shaping piracy in Southeast Asia: over-fishing, lax maritime regulations, the existence of organised crime syndicates, the presence of radical politically motivated groups...

In a new Lowy Institute Perspectives, Milton Osborne, a visiting fellow at the Institute, evaluates the social and economic impacts for the littoral states of the damming of the Salween River and the opening of the Mekong River to large cargo boats. Both of these processes are being driven by China's rapid economic growth and...