Global Issues
Border closures should not be Australia’s default response
The recent announcement that Australia’s international border would reopen to fully vaccinated eligible visa holders from 1 December 2021, signalled a welcome change for families,…
Opportunity lost: Australia’s Antarctic aerodrome cancelled
The Australian government has cancelled the proposed aerodrome near Davis station in the Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT), emphasising environmental concerns but probably more…
Trouble on the Mekong
Two reports released last month by The Mekong River Commission (MRC), an inter-governmental organisation that works with the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam…
India, China cop finger pointing in climate politics
Two weeks of negotiations in Glasgow meant that COP26 resulted in a resolution – of sorts. Nations agreed to resume next year with stronger 2030 emissions reduction targets in a…
Regulating unmanned underwater vehicles in Indonesian waters
According to the Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative, between 2018 and January 2021, a large number of Chinese vessels “deactivated” their AIS transponders – the automatic…
Glasgow delivered, but what, exactly?
The Glasgow climate conference – the 26th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Climate Convention – was held in uniquely difficult circumstances compared to…
Forecasting vaccination in the Pacific
While Australia reopens to the world, its Pacific neighbours continue to face the dire consequences of the pandemic. Despite a guaranteed flow of vaccines thanks in large part to…
Podcasts
COP26 and beyond: fault lines in global climate policy
In this episode, Lowy Institute lead economist Roland Rajah is joined by Dr Vijaya Ramachandran and Dr Sam Geall to discuss the outcomes from the COP26 Glasgow Climate Change…
A good idea gone nowhere? Diaspora policy in Australia
Over the past two decades, an array of organisations and individuals – including PwC, the Asia Society, the Business Council of Australia, academics and public intellectuals –…
Framing globalisation
Six Faces of Globalization: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why it Matters, by Anthea Roberts and Nicolas Lamp (Harvard University Press, 2021)
People use mental shortcuts…