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11 Jun 2021
Australia should steer the US off a values-based Indo-Pacific strategy
Rallying the world’s democracies to check China’s power can only unite a narrow coalition in the region. -
9 Jun 2021
China overtakes America in presidential diplomacy
Memo for the White House: You should get out more. -
8 Jun 2021
Biden’s agenda is anything but “normal”
Instead, the new President has taken on a wildly ambitious policy agenda that captures decades of progressive work. -
3 Jun 2021
Moon’s last, best chance after Biden summit
The South Korean president came to Washington for vaccine supplies and to shore up a legacy for North Korea engagement. -
3 Jun 2021
Nord Stream 2: Assessing Russia’s “serious geopolitical victory”
The US has realised the energy pipeline is nearly completed. But that might not be the end of the opposition. -
1 Jun 2021
China’s never-ending Tibet paranoia
The growing US–China rivalry is changing the dynamics of the contest over Tibet. -
1 Jun 2021
Biden-Putin summit: Managing expectations
Plenty of problems could benefit from the US and Russia working together. But don’t confuse talk with approval. -
31 May 2021
Is Southeast Asia ready for a US-China tech decoupling?
Some regional countries have sought to diversify. But this doesn’t necessarily mean choosing sides. -
24 May 2021
“Flexible” is the new North Korea policy buzzword
A responsive approach has clear benefits, but Washington and Seoul must be careful not to fall out of line. -
11 May 2021
Biden’s North Korea review is a diplomatic victory for Moon Jae-in
South Korea’s president has won the new administration in Washington over to his way of thinking. -
6 May 2021
Economic diplomacy: Patent politics and trade deal twists
President Biden moves to suspend vaccine patents, RCEP ramps up, IA-CEPA gets a lesson and US dollar reserves tank. -
6 May 2021
Biden’s North Korea plans come into view
Short on details, the US president’s policy positions still leave plenty of room for speculation. -
30 Apr 2021
Telephone diplomacy: Joe Biden signals a new approach towards Turkey
In acknowledging the Armenian genocide, the US president has created waves with a long-standing ally. -
27 Apr 2021
High hopes and hot air on climate change
Good pledges, moral suasion and new impetus for accountability have yet to sway the recalcitrant. -
22 Apr 2021
Economic diplomacy: Supply chains, ASEAN wanes, and Japan’s coal dump
Will government have to pick a winner for 6G networks to show the US and Japan as “global leaders in innovation”? -
21 Apr 2021
China’s Twitter trolls make bid for vacant Trump property
“Own the libs” obnoxiousness failed, but China’s social media diplomats haven’t all got the memo. -
20 Apr 2021
“America’s back” in the Paris Agreement. For how long?
Climate politics is enjoying an optimistic moment, but a Trumpist rerun would be ruinous for environmental diplomacy. -
20 Apr 2021
Roosevelt’s lessons for nations across generations
Over a century ago, Theodore Roosevelt declared “the quality of the leaders is all-important”. It’s as true now as then. -
19 Apr 2021
Sticks and carrots in Biden’s Russia strategy
Washington deserves two cheers for its early moves against Moscow. But the approach remains fundamentally reactive. -
19 Apr 2021
America and China: Imagining the worst
A little well-crafted speculation can shake off complacency and allow people to focus on the true challenge. -
16 Apr 2021
Light at the beginning of the tunnel?
A look at the first months of the Biden administration gives cause for optimism – and caution. -
13 Apr 2021
Iran-US-Israel: Boxing out of the shadows
Gradual progress in talks to revive the nuclear deal may be dealt a blow by a series of “grey-zone” attacks. -
12 Apr 2021
The Quad (finally) delivers: Can it be sustained?
The future of the grouping might well be determined by China’s behaviour. -
12 Apr 2021
Covid recovery, in Australia and the world
Drawing from his new Lowy Institute Paper, John Edwards looks at the fallout of the pandemic and where things are going. -
9 Apr 2021
Economic diplomacy: Global tax, education exports and Team Australia
Levelling the field with a global minimum tax, rethinking student fee revenue, and getting APEC back in the room. -
1 Apr 2021
Closer Taiwan-US ties are stabilising the region, not the opposite
Displays of solidarity for Taiwan won’t contain Beijing’s ambition, but US support must factor in its thinking. -
31 Mar 2021
Washington risks an unsustainable climate policy
Tense talks between the US and China in Alaska Summit showed that collaboration on global challenges is fraught. -
30 Mar 2021
America’s border crisis: Good intentions go south
A surge of migrants seeking to cross the border might be the moment noble ideals and political realities collide. -
30 Mar 2021
Taking the measure of prejudice in a pandemic
Has Covid-19 heightened anti-Asian bias in Australia? A new survey shows some worrying signs. -
29 Mar 2021
An interim government would bring ruin to Afghanistan
A US proposal to dissolve the Afghan administration risks a tragic repeat of the past. -
29 Mar 2021
Unresolved questions in US-India relations
Washington has signalled a desire for closer ties with New Delhi, but major challenges are yet to be answered. -
22 Mar 2021
North Korea and Malaysia’s predictable diplomatic divorce
Pyongyang is sending a message in typically overbearing style. But the target is as much the US as it is Malaysia. -
17 Mar 2021
The US and the Rules-Based Order: Testing the plan
A frank new guidance document shows that in directing his foreign policy, Joe Biden still has to resolve means and ends. -
16 Mar 2021
The Quad gives a boost to India’s vaccine diplomacy
Countering China’s influence is one thing. But fostering regional cooperation plays to the strengths of the grouping. -
16 Mar 2021
Troubles ahead for the US–South Korea alliance
Biden’s efforts to nudge Seoul into the Quad may be self-defeating unless Moon Jae-in’s North Korea hopes are engaged. -
15 Mar 2021
A new “concert” to govern the Indo-Pacific
For Quad leaders emphasising an “inclusive” region, there may be a ready-made example for involving China. -
12 Mar 2021
A smarter use of voting technology to stop election-related violence
Maybe in the search for efficiency we sometimes overcomplicate things, and the better solution is to get back to basics. -
25 Feb 2021
Australia’s silence on Chagos dispute doesn’t help
Ensuring a consistent approach to the “rules” would make it that much harder for China to break them. -
23 Feb 2021
Afghanistan: To leave or not to leave
Under the Doha deal, US forces are meant to be out of the country in mere weeks. Either way, peace appears far off. -
23 Feb 2021
Democracy vs autocracy: Biden’s “inflection point”
If this really is a new Cold War, it’s off to a slow start. -
16 Feb 2021
What Biden means for Australia’s aid policy
The US president has signalled a serious commitment to bolstering international development. -
15 Feb 2021
The power of example: America’s presence in Diego Garcia
US claims to upholding the rules-based order don’t square with its silence on Mauritian sovereignty in the Chagos. -
5 Feb 2021
What does America think the rules-based order is for?
The US is in a defensive crouch rather than in an expansionary mood. But bring on debate. -
3 Feb 2021
Macron and Biden: “Friends, allied, but not aligned”
After the tests of Donald Trump, the French president has flagged he will be a demanding partner for America. -
2 Feb 2021
Syrian stasis
Washington isn’t likely to pay much attention to the Syria conflict – and nothing much will change. -
28 Jan 2021
Making America govern again
Joe Biden, an old hand in the Senate, brings a unique perspective on the presidency, and a renewed sense of possibility. -
27 Jan 2021
Sovereignty and sensibility: What now for US-Mexico relations?
Mexico’s president developed a surprisingly cosy relationship with Donald Trump, but those days are over. -
25 Jan 2021
The US and the next leader of the OECD
Australia’s candidate for Secretary-General is a favourable contender, but American backing is still up in the air. -
22 Jan 2021
Russia-US relations in 2021: Key things to watch out for
For all the talk of China, the Russia factor is still a huge challenge for the Biden administration.