Stories by Graeme Acton

Analysis - As Hong Kong ponders the way ahead after protests that rocked the territory this week, RNZ's Graeme Acton writes Beijing has made it clear those protests will change nothing.

Analysis - Since the fall of General Muhammad Suharto in 1998, Indonesians have been developing a vibrant but arguably flawed democracy burdened by a seemingly unshakeable oligarchy and a corrupt…

There is confusion in Thailand over the results of the election although it had looked like a military-linked party was in the lead, and their victory would keep the Thai army in place as the…

Comment - The Thailand elections are coming up and RNZ's Graeme Acton asks, is a sham election better than no election?

The United States' withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council is another step back from its role as an international leader, say critics.

Analysis - A "complete denuclearisation" statement has been signed by Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, but analysts say it yields nothing new or tangible, RNZ Foreign Editor Graeme Acton writes.

Analysis - The 100,000 Rohingya accepted into Malaysia is a small drop in the human wave of 700,000 who have fled a violent crackdown by the Burmese military, Foreign Editor Graeme Acton writes.

Analysis - "Democracy is now dead in my country" is the blunt assessment from Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who is in New Zealand for talks with officials, writes Graeme Acton.

Analysis - If the US's shift to an 'America First' policy towards East Asia continues, countries might start looking to a Plan B, writes Graeme Acton.

The Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Myanmar's Rakhine State has urged the government to grant birth certificates and citizenship to Rohingya children born there.

The Burmese army's investigation into alleged military abuses against Rohingya Muslims in the west of the country has uncovered no wrongdoing except in two minor incidents.

ANALYSIS: The high-pressure climax to a blasphemy trial in Indonesia has laid bare the perilous nature of democracy in the world's largest Muslim nation, writes Graeme Acton.

Analysis - When it comes to annoying the powers that be in North Korea, instead of throwing you out, they force you to stay, writes RNZ Foreign Editor Graeme Acton.

Analysis - US President Donald Trump is not insisting on a 'two-state solution' to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but his motives are still unclear writes Graeme Acton.

Analysis: A just-released US intelligence report has exposed Russia as having an active role in influencing the next US President, writes Graeme Acton.

Analysis - Italy is heading to a vote on massive constitutional reform, with its troubled economy hanging in the balance, writes Graeme Acton.

Analysis - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always been a politician mired in controversy borne of bold actions, Graeme Acton says.

Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims are trying to escape an upsurge of violence that has brought the total number of dead confirmed by the army to more than 130.

Analysis: Donald Trump is unlikely to take the US back to its pre-1941 isolationism, but a change in attitude to Asia and the Pacific is inevitable, writes Graeme Acton.

Analysis - If Donald Trump takes the keys to the White House in a few days, hang on for a bumpy ride - even in New Zealand, writes Graeme Acton.

Analysis - Ethnic conflicts still simmer in the fledgling democracy of Myanmar, but while the fighting continues at least the talking has begun, writes Graeme Acton.

The full potential of labour mobility between Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands remains largely untapped, according to a new report.

Analysis - Rather than unseat the government, the failed coup in Turkey has handed its autocratic president a political fillip, writes Graeme Acton.

Analysis - Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is 100 days into her first term but her report card is mixed, writes Graeme Acton.