Milton Osborne

Who is Milton Osborne?

Milton Osborne is an Australian historian, author, and consultant specializing in Southeast Asia.

He attended North Sydney Boys High School, graduated from the University of Sydney and received a PhD from Cornell University. Osborne held academic positions in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore. Osborne's main historical contribution has been to synthesise the history of the region as a whole, rather than concentrate on the histories of the present-day nations.

His Southeast Asia association began in 1959 with an Australian diplomatic posting to Phnom Penh. In 1980 and 1981 Osborne advised the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the Cambodian refugee problem. In 1982 he returned to Australia, working as Head of the Asia Branch of the Office of National Assessments, also serving for a year as Head of Current Intelligence.

Osborne now lives in Sydney and continues to write while consulting on Asian issues.