Asia
The rude health of Cambodia’s Hun Sen
Once again, “Victory Over Genocide Day” has been celebrated in Cambodia by the Cambodian People’s Party (CCP) government and its supporters. This year marked the 40th anniversary…
Best of The Interpreter 2018: Talking with Kim Jong-un
How to capture a year of extraordinary diplomacy on the Korean peninsula, that started out with bragging about the size of a nuclear button to a cozy photo-op with the US…
Best of The Interpreter 2018: The US-China trade war
In recent months, the US-China relationship has accelerated from rivalry toward adversarial antagonism. In the US, a policy shift on China has been propelled by a sense that…
Reports
Economic conflict between America and China: A truce declared, the talks begin
The real issue in the US–China trade negotiation is the dramatic change in China’s economy evident over the past decade.
Could Hanif Atmar become the next President of Afghanistan?
As the international community mulls speedy reconciliation with the Taliban, Afghanistan is set to witness presidential elections in April 2019. Amid a deteriorating security…
Kovrig case casts pall over China research ties
Just as the Trump-Xi meeting at the G20 produced a glimmer of hope for mutual de-escalation, the US-China trade war has taken its ugliest turn yet.
Last week, Beijing detained…
The new US Africa strategy is not about Africa. It’s about China
President Donald Trump’s national security advisor John Bolton outlined the US administration’s new Africa strategy in a speech last week at the Heritage Foundation, a…
What I missed this year: America pushes back
A series where Lowy Institute experts look back on what surprised them in 2018.
For some years now I have believed that the United States is on the losing end of a long struggle…
Russian gas will not stop China’s air pollution
As Beijing clamps down on air pollution, it is seeking to replace coal power plants with cleaner natural gas, especially for heating during winter. Consequently, China has…
How the conservative “Anglosphere” fell in love with India
Last month, the leader of Australia’s best known anti-immigration party, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, argued that not all non-white migration was a problem. Indians, Hanson said,…