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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

UK newspaper front pages display stories on the re-election of former US President Donald Trump. Getty Images
Don't break the news: Why the media needs to go back to basics

Coverage of Trump's US election victory and the Amsterdam violence are just two of the latest examples of what's gone wrong with legacy media

CommentNovember 21, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had a successful trip to in Beijing, where he was hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Reuters
China and Indonesia have just shown us a sensible way to calm the waters

The rest of the world should take note of their deal to jointly develop a disputed area in the South China Sea

CommentNovember 14, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
A sculpture made by Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik depicting former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after he won a sweeping victory in the US presidential election in Puri of India's Odisha state on November 6, 2024. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Donald Trump for a "historic election victory" on November 6, adding that he was looking forward to working with the vote frontrunner. (Photo by AFP)
CommentTrump's US election win should be celebrated around the world

If he can keep to his words, 'I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars', that will be more than good enough

CommentNovember 06, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
British troops in Calcutta, now Kolkata, clear a street to quell a potential riot. Getty
CommentNo, Robert Jenrick – Britain's former colonies don't owe it 'a debt of gratitude'

The man who could be prime minister is either a dangerous extremist, or dangerously misguided

CommentOctober 31, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto (3rd R) and Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka (R) arrive for the swearing-in ceremony of the minister of the new cabinet at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on October 21, 2024. Newly inaugurated Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on October 21 swore in his new cabinet, which includes key members of his predecessor's team and suggests he will continue his main policies, analysts said. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP)
Indonesia's new leader is the right man to awaken the 'sleeping giant'

If there's anyone who can awaken the 'sleeping giant', it is the vastly experienced general-politician

CommentOctober 23, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
US President Joe Biden with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit, in California, last November. Many in the West seem reluctant to draw up a chair and do business with China. Reuters
CommentMuch of the world can see what China has to offer. Why can't the West?

In the Gulf, Africa, South-East Asia and beyond, many are more than happy to share the table with China

CommentOctober 16, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
US President Joe Biden on a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the Oval Office in Washington, on April 4. Reuters
Reagan put an end to Israel's bombing in 20 minutes. Biden could too

It strains credulity that Biden and Harris haven't they worked out by now that all they have to do – if they really want a ceasefire – is to cut off the supply of arms and money to Tel Aviv

CommentOctober 10, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
Anti-Netanyahu protesters gather outside his hotel ahead of his speech to the UN on September 27. Getty Images via AFP
Israel is losing ground badly in South-East Asia

Given recent developments, those wielding the pen in Kuala Lumpur may well draft far harsher Asean statements on Israel

CommentOctober 03, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
Russia's Pacific Fleet warships and submarines sail in the Peter the Great Gulf of the Sea of Japan during this month. AFP
Those fearful of a US-China war are overlooking a multipolar Asia-Pacific

Top analysts are spending too much time looking at the region through a western security lens

OpinionSeptember 26, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
A beach in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. Reuters
CommentTourists love Bali but South-East Asia has more to offer

South-East Asia, like other regions, has more to offer than what travellers see on the surface

CommentSeptember 19, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (2-L), Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng (2-R) at the 2024 Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, on September 5. EPA
It would be a mistake to not count Russia as part of the Asia-Pacific anymore
CommentSeptember 12, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
Keir Starmer’s Labour government says it will impose VAT on private school fees from the beginning of next year. Getty Images
CommentStarmer's proposed tax on private school fees could backfire

A VAT on private schools could end up costing the state

CommentSeptember 05, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump hold similar as well as contrasting views on America's approach towards East and South-East Asia. AP
CommentThe fate of the Far East depends on who the US voters pick

While both candidates appear to have similar trade policies, they couldn't be further apart on how to deal with China

CommentAugust 29, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
Vendors and buyers in a Bangkok market on Tuesday. Many young Thais are disproportionately suffering from unemployment and the country's low growth rate. EPA
Thai democracy needs to hear everyone's voice

Banning extremists is one thing but ending the cycle of dissolving popular parties would be good for the country

CommentAugust 22, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
Government regulators have long feared the polarising effects of social media on national politics. EPA
CommentSocial media needs regulation – and it's coming not a day too soon

Across the world, politicians have realised that the big tech companies are either unwilling or unable to protect society, and that governments must now step in

CommentAugust 14, 2024
Sholto Byrnes
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