Global Issues
The tremendous impact of a US-China investment and technology war
This is an edited extract of the opening speech delivered in Sydney this month to the Chief Economists Forum, held annually by the Financial Standard.
There are three main…
Responding to cyber attacks: resilience and transparency is key
Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week revealed that Australia’s major political parties were the target of a recent cyber attack. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC)…
Polls apart: how Australian views have changed on “boat people”
Since 2005, the annual Lowy Institute Poll has been tracking the attitudes of Australians to foreign policy issues and their place in the world. The issue of boat people,…
Mark Zuckerberg and the revolt of the public
I joined Facebook in 2010. As if by magic, the lives of ‘friends’ lost in time and space materialised on my laptop, so I could partake of their everyday moods, their exotic…
Doctors help the moral case for border security
On Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives passed a bill supporting the transfer of asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru to Australia for urgent medical care. The bill,…
Blocking asylum, by sea and air
The case of Saudi teen Rahaf Al-Qunun dramatically demonstrates the difficulties many refugees face when attempting to escape the risk of harm at home and find safety elsewhere –…
Facebook’s first 15 years and lessons for diplomacy
Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook post, marking 15 years since he hatched the social network in his Harvard dorm, claims Facebook has the potential to be “profoundly positive” for years…
Just how green is the Belt and Road?
China is frequently hailed as a leader in international efforts to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, playing a pivotal role in negotiating the Paris Agreement, and…
Encouraging Trump, the “germaphobe”, to go global on health
How do you get a policymaker who has professed their scepticism about the value of global health programs to support them?
The US government is responsible for roughly one-third…
The politics of asylum-seeking: al-Qanun’s route to Canada
The dramatic bid for asylum by Saudi Arabian teenager Rahaf al-Qanun became the focus of international attention this month when she barricaded herself into a hotel room in…