Global Economy
Don’t saddle Pacific Islands with disaster debt
Pacific Islands are facing a serious debt crisis that has been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdown of the tourism industry. Research based on…
Japan-Australia: building a hydrogen supply chain
Of the many issues canvassed at the Quad leaders’ meeting in Tokyo last week, the four partners stressed the importance of common energy supply chains. The leaders agreed in…
Where to for trade policy?
With the signing of an interim “free trade” deal with India, and an agreement with the European Union nearing the final stages, Australia has moved closer to the previous…
No Gas: Lessons from Poland and Bulgaria for the Quad
While Russia’s attempt to blackmail Poland and Bulgaria by cutting off natural gas supplies may seem a distant question for the nations of the Indo-Pacific, we believe it is…
A flash in the pan? Indonesia’s palm oil export ban
The global vegetable oils industry was stunned after Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo announced late last month that his country, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, would…
Mapping Southeast Asian development assistance
Over the past two years, the global pandemic has had staggering economic and social impacts in Southeast Asia, pushing millions into extreme poverty. As economies slowly emerge…
Economic diplomacy: Trade shifts challenge a new government
Make or break
Trade matters haven’t made much of an impact in Australia’s election campaign, not surprisingly overshadowed by Solomon Islands in the foreign affairs debate and…
Energy security: Embracing technological neutrality
Energy security has been a global issue for some time, but only recently has it struck Australians as a day-to-day problem. Price hikes at the bowser and the shortage of AdBlue…
When the tank’s empty: Australia’s impoverished energy security
The Australian government’s announcement on 13 April that it will subsidise the country’s oil refineries to the tune of $250 million for projects that will not be completed until…
Economic diplomacy: After Ukraine, the IMF ponders the future
Diminishing consensus
That grandee of American economic statecraft Robert Zoellick made an uncomfortable return to public life this month by being lampooned for sitting on the…