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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

Security has been tightened in the centre of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, as 10 Asean member states come together with countries such as the US and Brazil. AP
CommentAsean prepares for a summit where anything could happen

Everything must be done to ensure Donald Trump has a wonderful time. For South-East Asia, rather a lot could be riding on it

CommentOctober 23, 2025
Amid the civil war in Myanmar and turmoil and devastation in other parts of the world, Aung San Suu Kyi’s plight is drawing little attention. Getty
OpinionMyanmar's junta should release Aung San Suu Kyi from solitary confinement

The fate of Myanmar's former leader may not garner much global sympathy, but her son's protestations are understandable

OpinionOctober 16, 2025
News publishers are finding their profits squeezed by AI companies' large language models. Getty
CommentDo content creators have any chance at all against AI?

The first battles of the AI revolution are being waged in the courtroom

CommentOctober 09, 2025
Sarawak, above, was an independent entity on the island of Borneo for more than 100 years. Getty
CommentHow a Malaysian state could help settle issues of identity

Sarawak is reclaiming the rights it once had as independent entity, offering other countries a new way to look at autonomy or reunification

CommentSeptember 26, 2025
US immigration agents at a Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia, on September 4. South Koreans suspected of working in the US illegally were the majority of the 475 people arrested in the raid. AFP
'Go home': why such hostility to immigrants in the West?

Rather than scapegoating immigrants or their descendants, lessons could be learnt from multicultural countries that prioritise social harmony

CommentSeptember 18, 2025
Qatar's capital Doha on Wednesday. Qatar denied receiving advance warning from the US of Tuesday's Israeli strikes. AFP
Israel's attack will not deter Qatar from its role as a good-faith mediator

While the Gaza war negotiations may have reached a dead end, the Gulf nation will not shirk from what is integral to its identity

CommentSeptember 11, 2025
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
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