Asia
Valuing Asia’s women leaders
What do Nancy Pelosi and Jacinda Ardern have in common? Not much many would say. Yet upon Ardern’s resignation as New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister and its third female leader …
The big picture: five lessons for five years of the Asia Power Index
This morning we released the 2023 edition of the Lowy Institute Asia Power Index. This data-driven assessment measures national resources and international influence to determine…
Chinese grey zone spy balloons over the American heartland
Bizarrely, the Chinese have sent a high-flying spy balloon deep into the American heartland. The logic is that such balloons fly more than 22.2 kilometres above the surface. Under…
Analyses
2023 Asia Power Index - Key Findings Report
In-depth analysis and insight into the changing power distribution in Asia and its geopolitical consequences.
A Chinese invasion of Taiwan isn’t inevitable
On 1 February, the People’s Liberation Army sent 20 aircraft across the median line dividing Taiwan from the Chinese mainland. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry responded to the…
Interactives
2023 Asia Power Index
A comprehensive assessment of the changing distribution of power in Asia, ranking 26 countries and territories through 133 indicators.
Global energy scarcity and the South China Sea
Last month, the Indonesian government approved natural gas exploration in the Tuna gas bloc, part of the largest untapped natural gas deposit in the world. The development of the…
Economic diplomacy: Diversification is hard to do
Catching up
It is now 25 years since then World Bank senior vice-president and chief economist Joseph Stiglitz remarkably turned on his employer to set out a roadmap for …
Australia’s Myanmar sanctions: now for the real decisions
It took Australia two years after Myanmar’s coup to impose new sanctions. On 1 February, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced autonomous sanctions on the 16 members of the State…
Indonesia gets the ball rolling on domestic worker rights
Last Wednesday, after almost 20 years languishing in the legislature, the Domestic Worker Protection Bill was publicly endorsed by Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in an…