After all the dog whistle doom and gloom around Julia Gillard and asylum seeker policy, the last thing you would have expected today was the Refugee Council of Asutralia praising her on the midday news.

The announcement of a proposed regional processing centre in Timor-Leste left a lot of people flat-footed:

JULIA Gillard has held talks with East Timor's leader to establish a regional processing centre for asylum-seekers on Australia's doorstep.

The Prime Minister revealed today she has also spoken to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and the UNHCR about a regional centre.

Ms Gillard said she would not oversee a return to the Pacific Solution and warned there was no quick fix to the problem of deterring asylum-seekers.
Gillard in talks with E Timor leader to establish processing centre for asylum-seekers

It took the longest headline in memory to catch up with the latest. Strange there were no leaks or scoops. Read more »

Author: Tobias Harris

Prime Minister Kan Naoto had his debut on the world stage at the G20 meeting in Toronto this week. While in Toronto he had his first meeting with US President Barack Obama.

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Author: Pradumna B. Rana, RSIS, Singapore

The G20 summit is a process that is evolving and no one can predict exactly where it will end up. The group was self appointed the ‘premier forum for international economic cooperation’ and there remain important questions related to membership and agenda that need to be addressed. In Pittsburgh, US President Barack Obama announced that the G20 would replace the G8. Two G20 summits are planned for this year — in Toronto and Seoul in November. While the Toronto summit will take stock of the implementation of exit strategies from the expansionary macroeconomic policies, the Seoul summit has selected two additional longer term issues for discussion — financial safety nets to better insulate emerging markets from systemic instability, and actions to close the development gap, especially for the poorest. Issues related to climate change could also be addressed at the G20 summit. Read more »

Author: Ja Ian Chong, HKUST

Power transitions in international relations—real or perceived—are unsettling. This is especially so for non-leading states. Their interests depend on shifts in the international system that they cannot shape. Leading powers should, however, pay attention to how non-leading states react to expectations of change in the global political environment. Their reactions, especially when considered together, can exacerbate or moderate security dilemmas among the leading powers and has the potential to affect regional and even systemic stability.

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Author: Maria Wihardja, CSIS, Jakarta

In the upcoming G20 summit in Seoul, East Asian Pacific countries must be careful not to focus narrowly on their own regional institutions and issues. Instead, they must aim to bring momentum to the global economic recovery and reforms. The agenda must resist being sidelined by current European concerns, and maintain a focus on Asian economies as they move beyond the financial crisis.

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