US killing by drone: continuity and escalation
The US use of drones in “targeted killings” has grown under Donald Trump, continuing Barack Obama’s legacy.
Brexit deal debate reveals dark side to EU diplomacy
Reactions provoked by the mooted deal provide analysts with rich insight into some of the forces now at play in Europe.
Separating the Philippine state from the church
Filipino Catholic voters separate the Church from the State and uphold this in political practice.
Xi Jinping in 2018: Any closer to the truth?
Are we misinterpreting this figure and seeing a mirage of great power rather than the real thing?
Dimly lit renewable energy initiatives for the Pacific
Population, technical capacity and economies of scale stand in the way to renewable energy in the region.
China takes off for the Moon, tethered by politics at home
A special space mission would usually get blanket coverage, but the timing is awkward for Beijing to showcase science.
The distant fate of Russia’s Far East
Demonstrations in Vladivostok a decade ago were quelled, but an attitude of independence from faraway Moscow remains.
Weekend catch-up: Abe in Darwin, the Trump-Xi truce & more
Manus Island Naval base, Australia and Japan's anxiety, and Indian air pollution: The week that was on The Interpreter.
US-China competition is all about us
Everybody else will be the objects of China-US competition, called upon to make choices in favour of one or the other.
Indonesia has a stake in Australia’s Lombrum plans too
The Australian debate over the Lobrum naval base almost entirely ignores Indonesia.
Economic diplomacy: Mahathir, BRI and Payne
Australia's economic diplomacy agenda, the underestimated ASEAN Economic Community, and the indefinable Mahathir.
Steady but slow in Australia-Japan security cooperation
Abe’s recent visit to Darwin indicates that Canberra and Tokyo acknowledge the common security challenges they face.
Rap song sparks a gender conversation in South Korea
The lyrics criticise the #metoo movement and question why women aren’t required to enlist in the military.
Australia’s new foreign-influence laws: Who is targeted?
Australia is leading the democratic push-back against quiet intrusions from authoritarian states.
How the US can prevent a China-dominated Asia
America should stop spreading itself far and wide in the pursuit of improbable power balances.
Uighur: Australia needs to end “business as usual” with China
Taking action would be consistent with Australia’s democratic values and core security interests.
The India-Pakistan corridor of peace
The neighbours have proposed a visa-free corridor but this is not an indication of a renewed friendship.
Violence, confusion, and conspiracy theories in the Kerch Strait
Both Moscow and Kiev have pointed fingers at the other as the cause of the crisis in the Kerch Strait – who’s to blame?
Dilemmas in Afghanistan’s paradoxical peace drama
How can peace talks with the Taliban lead to a durable peace when there is no domestic or regional consensus?
Xi and Trump at G20: A tariff truce
The risk of damage to the global economy is just as real as last week.
Veterans fight back against the marketing enemy at the gates
Veterans respond to the call for the public to thank them for their service.
Why denuclearisation is less important for South Korea
South Korea has lived under direct North Korean threat for decades and not just because of the North’s nuclear weapons.
Taking the air in north India
Smog and haze pollution in India might be just bad enough to bind the will for action – although the odds aren't good.
George H W Bush: the internationalist president
Marshalling an international force to turn back the illegal invasion of Kuwait proved the high point of his career.
Weekend catch-up: G20, journos in China & shirtfrontasi revisited
Trump and Xi meet in Argentina, Taiwan's election fallout and Asia's space race: the week that was on The Interpreter.
Marise Payne: charting the battle lines for Australian security
The Foreign Minister’s speech follows a run of major foreign and defence policy speeches ahead of the poll that matters.
Review: lessons for Australia and Britain from Iraq War
A new book demonstrates Britain’s decision to go to war in Iraq was one of politics with unintended consequences.
North Korea’s emerging blackmail strategy
A deadlock in negotiation between the US and South Korea leaves Pyongyang to make all the gains.
Wang Qishan and China’s charm offensive against US trade war
China’s vice-president and right-hand man to Xi Jinping is known as “China’s firefighter” and is playing a key role.
Russia-Ukraine: soggy response to Kerch aggression
It is not tensions that are escalating but the relentless Russian acts of aggression against Ukraine.
China, where not all media are created equal
A rare official apology hints at the delicate calculations and constraints that frame journalistic freedom in China.
South Korea’s quandary: what to do about MIKTA?
The group once called a called a new dynamic in diplomacy is struggling, but the Korean peninsula might offer a role.
International justice: tackling impunity in Asia
Trials in Cambodia, while fraught, may help deliver accountability for crimes against humanity across the region.
The forces needed to protect the Belt and Road
The Karachi consulate attack highlights China’s security problems in securing projects and Chinese nationals abroad.
Key takeaways from the Taiwan elections
The Kuomintang made big gains which have given the party a second opportunity at political relevance.
Pacific links: APEC reactions, “a summit like no other”, more
Navy bases, journalist suspension, deals with China, and stories from the Pacific islands region.
Asia’s space sale
Spaceflight across Asia has advanced tremendously in recent decades, and a new trend is evolving.
Charting a more sustainable development path in the Pacific
Competing to counter the influence of China in the Pacific suggests that Australia may have lost its way.
Logic at the wayside at G20
The success of the G20 will rely on leaders to agree in a world where “me first” is privileged over cooperation.
Israel embassy debacle: can Australia strongarm Indonesia again?
Should Morrison play hardball with Indonesia on the proposal to move the Australian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem?
Myanmar’s skewed democracy was predictable
There are three factors that impact heavily on Myanmar’s inability to truly embrace democracy.
“America First” and global economic governance
Halcyon days when the US built international institutions that would benefit all and foster globalisation – over?
Afghanistan: the Hazaras are not safe
It would be an act of common decency for Australia to put a moratorium on all removals of Hazaras to Afghanistan.
Thailand should lead ASEAN with a migrant worker agenda
Bangkok’s ambition of leading ASEAN, stymied by domestic strife, can be achieved by combating labour trafficking.
Feminism and femininity in Xi Jinping’s “New Era”
It has been a bad year for feminist ideas and activism in China.
Weekend catch-up: APEC wash-up, Cambodia’s genocide ruling, more
Health security woes, China squeezes Australian farmers, and the Andaman islands: the week that was on The Interpreter.
Time we heard the Pacific’s take on the Pacific
Should we really lament the passing of the old-fashioned foreign correspondent, or take a chance for something new?
Morrison and the Pacific: the good, the gaffe, and the omission
The rediscovery of the Pacific covers important ground but raising Australia’s broadcast voice is a chance to do better.
China: a party of governance and control, not revolution
It seems counterintuitive for the Party to suppress Marxist activists yet it can hardly afford “class struggle”.
From the high horse: Malaysia’s problematic track record
Mahathir’s portrait of racial harmony in Malaysia is inspiring – except, of course, for being demonstrably false.