Another Benigno Aquino is set to become one of the Philippines' most powerful politicians next week thanks to his name, part of what analysts warn is an increasingly destructive system of dynastic rule.

If Russia has decided to make a new diplomatic push to drag Syria's warring parties into peace talks, it may be because of signs that the United States could slowly get sucked into the conflict.

A loudmouth in elections earlier this year, Silvio Berlusconi has been understated since then, as he seeks a statesman-like image marked by his surprisingly muted reaction to a court ruling that upheld his conviction for tax fraud.

Israeli missiles breached Syria's vaunted air defense system over the weekend, but that offered little comfort to U.S. military planners weighing the risks of any intervention against President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

With its resources boom coming to an end, the good times in Australia cannot last. But while economists blame China's economic slowdown and politicians blame one another, it is perhaps time to ask whether Australia might have brought some of the coming hardship on itself.

Gradual democratic transition has been seen in Burma (also known as Myanmar) since the 2010 general elections. Prior to the elections, the country's closest allies were governments that had business interests or groups that had established connection with the military generals. The international community was visibly divided under two separate camps — sanctions versus engagement.

Being a foreigner in Taiwan is a funny thing. The way you meet people and the relationships you have with them in Taiwan are completely different from the way you get in touch with people in your native country.

Barack Obama maneuvered himself into a corner when on Aug. 20 last year he warned “in no uncertain terms” of “enormous consequences” should the Syrian regime use its chemical weapons on rebels.

Addressing an audience of dignitaries in Luxembourg in 2005, Bulgaria's then prime minister extolled the virtues of European Union membership, declaring his nation ready to take its place at the heart of the continent.

The first task for Prime Minister Najib Razak is to form the Cabinet. And we can expect the process to be different this time.