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Sholto Byrnes

Sholto Byrnes

Columnist
Sholto Byrnes is an East Asian affairs columnist for The National. A commentator and consultant based in Kuala Lumpur, he previously held senior roles at the Independent and New Statesman in London, set up and edited a quarterly international affairs magazine in the Arabian Gulf, and was a senior fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2009 and a corresponding fellow of the Erasmus Historical and Cultural Forum in 2019.
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Articles

A motorbike-hailing driver hands flowers to military personnel and police officers during a rally for peace following days of violent protests in Jakarta, Indonesia. EPA
Indonesia's leader swiftly quelled the protests, but the hard work begins now

Prabowo Subianto will need to address the cause for these demonstrations: public discontentment over economic inequality

CommentSeptember 03, 2025
Xi Jinping is expected to welcome more than 20 leaders, including Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin, to Tianjin later this week. Reuters
CommentXi, Putin and Modi together at the SCO summit in China would be deeply symbolic

Optics will trump any of the substance to emerge from the annual meeting later this week

CommentAugust 29, 2025
A US fighter jet takes off from Basa Air Base in the Philippines. AFP
CommentThe US has China surrounded with bases, and yet is still fixated on 'deterrence'

One cannot help but wonder how Washington would react if Beijing projected that much strength in its own backyard

CommentAugust 21, 2025
An 89-year-old protester during a rally in London challenging the British government's proscription of Palestine Action. Reuters
CommentWestern attempts to curb criticism of Israel will come at a cost

Intolerance towards pro-Palestine voices will only serve to further isolate Israel

CommentAugust 13, 2025
Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing remains in charge as acting President and chief of the armed forces. AP
CommentNo lasting solution to Myanmar's problems can exclude its military

An end to the crisis is in sight, but the country doesn't have institutions that can bind it as one

CommentAugust 07, 2025
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim brokered a truce between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, left, and Thailand's acting Prime Minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, in Putrajaya, Malaysia on Monday. EPA
Why did the Thailand-Cambodia conflict erupt suddenly and end swiftly?

The reasons for the recent cross-border fighting aren't as clear as who the winners and losers are

CommentJuly 31, 2025
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon visit the Great Wall of China near Beijing on Wednesday. EPA
The US is pushing its Asia Pacific allies closer to China

The likes of Japan, Australia and key South-East Asian countries are hedging their bets

CommentJuly 17, 2025
Mahathir Mohamad was Malaysia's prime minister for almost a quarter of a century. EPA
CommentAt 100, Malaysia's Mahathir has proved to be the ultimate political survivor

To compatriots and colleagues alike, the former prime minister will always be consequential and controversial in equal parts

CommentJuly 10, 2025
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from office this month. Bloomberg
CommentHow a simple phone call shook Thai politics

The Shinawatras have been a force in Thai politics, so one scandal may not be enough to take them down

CommentJuly 02, 2025
Former US President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the Aukus pact in the White House, in Washington, on September 15, 2021. The then Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, left, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson participated virtually. EPA
CommentHow Australia benefits if a security pact with the US gets canned

For Australia, the only sensible path is to try to build an Asia-Pacific security architecture that includes China

CommentJune 27, 2025
Activists during a solidarity protest in support of the Palestinian people, in Jakarta, on Thursday. EPA
CommentSouth-East Asian countries are siding with Iran – this isn't surprising

Support for Israel has always been low to the point of unmeasurable among Muslim-majority nations

CommentJune 20, 2025
From left, US Senator Barry Goldwater (1909 - 1998), US President Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004), and writer and TV host William F Buckley Jr (1925 - 2008) in1987. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)
Can the man who paved the way for Trump heal divisions in the US?

A closer look at a new biography of William F Buckley Jr that upends common notions about the conservative movement

OpinionJune 12, 2025
South Korean President-elect Lee Jae-myung sets off for his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly on Wednesday. Reuters
CommentSouth Korea's Lee Jae-myung is the right man to deal with Donald Trump

The new president's in-tray is full, but his pragmatism could be an asset for a troubled country

CommentJune 04, 2025
Leaders of Gulf Co-operation Council member states and the Association of South-East Asian Nations with their Chinese counterparts in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. Reuters
GCC and Asean show civilisations can work together, despite the differences

Their relationship can be much more than just a matter of material progress, and shared and equitable prosperity

CommentMay 29, 2025
The Bandung Conference of 1955 was essentially a meeting of Asian and African states that were newly independent. Getty
CommentHow a 1955 conference in Indonesia formed the bedrock for today's Global South

The contributions of the Non-Aligned Movement are tremendous, yet they have been largely overlooked in the West

CommentMay 08, 2025
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