Uncategorised and other

Books for quarantine: Hugh White suggests, plus a time for classics
Books for quarantine: Hugh White suggests, plus a time for classics
“Why did no one suggest The Decameron?” asks prominent Australian strategic analyst Hugh White in a quick email responding to the excellent collection of books The Interpreter…
Middle East dispatch: MBS purge, dam dispute, refugees in jeopardy
Middle East dispatch: MBS purge, dam dispute, refugees in jeopardy
Vulnerable cases Early efforts to contain Covid-19 focused on quarantining those travelling by air, leaving the impression of coronavirus as a disease mostly affecting stable and…
Books for self-isolation: Revisiting Why Nations Fail
Books for self-isolation: Revisiting Why Nations Fail
Ed’s note: In response to a call on The Interpreter for reading suggestions in the event of a stint in Covid-19 related quarantine, Scott Robinson wrote that he’d recently…
Limiting the global economic fallout from Covid-19
Limiting the global economic fallout from Covid-19
Panic has now set in over the Covid-19 global pandemic. The coronavirus is spreading rapidly, especially in Europe and the US, and severe public-health measures are being put in…
Book review: Contest for the Indo-Pacific
Book review: Contest for the Indo-Pacific
Book Review: Rory Medcalf Contest for the Indo-Pacific: Why China Won't Map the Future (La Trobe University Press, 2020) The first point that emerges from Rory Medcalf’s Contest…
Books I’ve been meaning to read: Covid-19 and preparing for quarantine
Books I’ve been meaning to read: Covid-19 and preparing for quarantine
(Update: A list of reader responses to this article is available here.) With news dubbed #toiletpaperpanic taking hold on social media in Australia last week, the empty…
The tiny African country making a big case against Myanmar
The tiny African country making a big case against Myanmar
Last month, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague announced a decision ordering that Myanmar’s Rohingya people be protected from further atrocities. Myanmar…
In Africa, the US plays catch-up with China
In Africa, the US plays catch-up with China
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced his first trip to Africa, 15–19 February, with stops in Senegal, Ethiopia, and Angola. The choice of these three countries…
Chart of the week: Trust in China
Chart of the week: Trust in China
Almost 30,000 cases of coronavirus have been officially confirmed, amid reports of Chinese authorities increasingly cracking down on information at the epicentre of the crisis…
Public holiday: Australia Day
Public holiday: Australia Day
Monday is a public holiday for Australia Day, and posting will be light on The Interpreter. Normal publishing will resume on Tuesday. This photo from Flickr user…