Diplomacy
Between the two worlds of an Indian diplomat
Book Review Cosmopolitan Elites: Indian Diplomats and the Social Hierarchies of Global Order, by Kira Huju (Oxford University Press, 2023)
Kira Huju places Indian…
The rise and endurance of minilaterals in the Indo-Pacific
Minilateralism has enjoyed a golden age with the advent of the Indo-Pacific. The evolution of the Quad as well as the establishment of AUKUS and other trilateral groupings over…
The Translator: “Like-minded countries”
Heard diplomats or analysts using a new turn of phrase only to wonder, “What does that mean?” Today we ask …
What are “like-minded countries”?
Commentators and academics use…
Reflecting Australia as a career ambassador
After 29 years of service, last week I retired from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I am an unlikely Australian diplomat, having joined DFAT as a graduate trainee in…
Economic diplomacy: Politics rules in Korean envoy row
Prosecutorial democracy
South Korea has a curious habit of investigating, often jailing, and then pardoning former presidents since it embraced two-party democracy with…
Grand strategising: The view from outside
Leaders make history, but not in circumstances of their choosing. One of us is a former Pentagon insider during the years of the Barack Obama presidency and knows that even well…
Five surprises from Lowy’s Global Diplomacy Index
One of the Lowy Institute’s flagship research projects is the Global Diplomacy Index – an interactive map that allows users to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of diplomatic…
Interactives
2024 Global Diplomacy Index
The fifth iteration of our interactive map of the world’s most significant diplomatic networks includes 66 countries or territories in Asia, the G20 and the OECD, visualising how…
Putting “Australia” at the centre of the country’s foreign policy
Australians need to update their mental model of who does foreign policy. Yes, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Department of Defence pursue…
Diplomacy: How to pick those who represent us
Every three years, we elect a prime minister to represent us at home and abroad. In the meantime, every now and again the government takes it upon itself to decide who should…