Australia
Islamic State: women, justice, and a complex impasse
Reporting that the government will repatriate Australian women and children from Kurdish-run detention camps in Syria is recognition that the current state of affairs could not…
Greater Sunrise: Can Timor-Leste play the “China card”?
Ahead of a visit to Australia last month, Timor-Leste’s President Jose Ramos Horta sought to play the China card, raising the possibility of asking Beijing to finance the Greater…
Myanmar: a desperate junta trying, and failing, to shore up its legitimacy
On Thursday, after almost 20 months in detention, a military court in Myanmar sentenced Australian academic and economist Sean Turnell to three years in jail for violating the…
Six reasons to be cautious about Australia establishing a DFI
In The Interpreter this week, Roland Rajah presented five reasons for establishing a Development Finance Institution (DFI). While he makes a good case, like any major policy…
Five reasons Australia should establish a Development Finance Institution
The Australian government has recently announced a Development Finance Review. One big idea actively under consideration is establishing an Australian development finance…
Bali 2002: When global terrorism first came close to home
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost twenty years since the night of 12 October 2002. The deadly impact of extremism will always be with the survivors and those who lost…
Has Southeast Asia warmed to AUKUS one year on?
When Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States announced the AUKUS trilateral security cooperation agreement a year ago, it didn’t get a uniformly positive reception in…
The Quad needs a stronger economic message
The Quad has declared itself “a force for good”. At a summit in Tokyo in May, the leaders of Japan, the United States, Australia and India pledged to bring tangible benefits to…
AUKUS, one year on
On 15 September 2021, Prime Minister Scott Morrison joined his British counterpart Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden to announce AUKUS. In so doing, Morrison set Australia…
Queen Elizabeth II: For Country and Commonwealth
Queen Elizabeth II’s role in foreign affairs may appear to be a contradiction in terms. As a constitutional monarch, she could take no initiative in these or any other political…