Global Issues

How much did the spies really know about the virus?
How much did the spies really know about the virus?
Something doesn’t quite line up in Bob Woodward’s latest book – and you have to look at what we know about intelligence assessments in Australia to understand why. Woodward tells…
Building a Covid vaccine strategy for Australia
Building a Covid vaccine strategy for Australia
This month, Australia signed a partnership with AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical company behind the University of Oxford’s proposed Covid-19 vaccine, securing the rights to locally…
Covid-19 and Indonesian monetary policy
Covid-19 and Indonesian monetary policy
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, it had become routine for central banks in rich countries to help fund budget deficits by buying government bonds. “Quantitative easing” (QE)…
Where the US went wrong in the pandemic​​​​​​​
Where the US went wrong in the pandemic​​​​​​​
The facts are undeniable. The United States has completely botched its response to the Covid-19 outbreak. As of 15 September, America has recorded more than 6.6 million cases of…
Bangladesh: Fight the power or shut up?
Bangladesh: Fight the power or shut up?
Hip-hop artists have long used rap music to launch cultural protests about social injustice, police brutality, inequality and discrimination.  Songs such as Tupac Shakur’s …
Countering extremism and conspiracies in a global pandemic
Commentary
Countering extremism and conspiracies in a global pandemic
Originally published in ABC Religion & Ethics.
Tackling environmental security threats in the Indian Ocean
Tackling environmental security threats in the Indian Ocean
The explosion and fire on board a supertanker off Sri Lanka this month, following closely on last month’s disastrous oil spill in Mauritius, serve as a reminder that environmental…
Economic diplomacy: Borders, barriers and obstacles
Economic diplomacy: Borders, barriers and obstacles
Homeward bound While Australia’s embrace of economic sovereignty has so far involved more rhetoric than real financial resources, cash incentives for reshoring manufacturing are…
Working one for the planet
Working one for the planet
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and impotent in the face of the manifold problems that currently confront the world. Pandemics, persistent poverty, great power rivalry, not to…
COVIDcast: Ben Bland On Indonesian President Joko Widodo, A Man Of Contradictions
Podcasts
COVIDcast: Ben Bland On Indonesian President Joko Widodo, A Man Of Contradictions
In this episode of COVIDcast, Hervé Lemahieu, Director of the Asian Power and Diplomacy Program at the Lowy Institute, sat down with Ben Bland to discuss his new book.