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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 2 hours ago
    • Diplomacy
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • United Nations

    Zooming in on climate change: The experience of a virtual COP29 attendee

    Isabelle Zhu-Maguire
    Flying thousands of delegates across the globe has its own environmental cost – so how effective are global negotiations conducted online?
  • 3 hours ago
    • North Korea
    • Intelligence and security
    • Iran's Nuclear Program
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Iran
    • Israel

    Cat-astrophe! What happens when dirty-minded North Koreans meet Iranian nuclear purrfidy

    Daniel Flitton
    I spy an invisible cat. Two, in fact.
  • 6 hours ago
    • China
    • North Korea
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Will North Korea annoy China, having sent troops to fight alongside Russia?

    Khang Vu
    Don’t bet on it.
  • 7 hours ago
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • Space exploration

    Working together in space can enhance worldly ties between Australia and Japan

    Andre Kwok , Cassandra Steer
    And the region stands to benefit, too.
  • 13 hours ago
    • Aid & Development
    • China

    China’s Pacific aid is rebounding and recalibrated

    Riley Duke , Alexandre Dayant
    Minor increases in spending and a surge in new deals signal renewed Chinese aid ambition in the region.
  • 23 hours ago
    • Cyber Security
    • Europe

    NATO’s best-laid subsea cable security plans

    Cynthia Mehboob
    The latest suspected attack indicates NATO needs a new cable protection strategy for European waters.
  • 1 day ago
    • Defence & Security
    • European Union

    Has the time finally come for a European defence?

    Eglantine Staunton
    Talk might be finally giving way to action. Maybe.
  • 1 day ago
    • India
    • Mauritius

    Political change in Mauritius carries regional importance – especially for India

    Samir Bhattacharya
    New Delhi has enough regional ructions without another tense relationship to manage.
  • 1 day ago
    • Australia
    • United States

    She won’t be right: Trump’s return and Australia’s red lines

    Ben Scott
    The lessons from his first term hold limited relevance for what is on the way.
  • 2 days ago
    • China
    • United States

    Reading between the lines of Xi and Biden’s last meeting

    Jersey Lee
    Some remarkably frank language was perhaps intended for a different audience than the one across the table.
  • 2 days ago
    • Cyber Security
    • Climate change
    • Sustainability
    • Technology

    Tech and AI are changing the climate equation – for the worse

    Miah Hammond-Errey
    If not addressed, the skyrocketing growth of AI and cloud computing will derail emissions commitments.
  • 2 days ago
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea

    Why the Philippines made a dramatic turnaround on the question of archipelagos in the law of the sea

    Alex P Dela Cruz
    And strangely enough, it means China and the Philippines have traded positions.
  • 2 days ago
    • North Korea
    • United States

    Why getting Pyongyang back to the negotiating table will be harder in Trump’s second term

    Gabriela Bernal
    The North Korea of 2025 is in a vastly different position to where it found itself in 2017.
  • 18 Nov 2024
    • Energy
    • Climate change
    • Sustainability

    A long way to go to zero

    Selwyn Parker
    Southeast Asia’s fast-growing economies still rely on coal.
  • 18 Nov 2024
    • Aid & Development
    • Vanuatu

    Pacific education: Backsliding outcomes and a financing freefall

    Riley Duke , Nasirra Ahsan
    Education indicators were already flat or falling before the pandemic and are getting worse. But development priorities are focused elsewhere.
  • 18 Nov 2024
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • United States

    An early winter in Kyiv?

    Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo
    Unpicking the implications of Trump’s election win on the war in Ukraine.
  • 18 Nov 2024
    • India
    • Australia

    Why India’s festive season could hold the key to soft power gains

    Aarti Betigeri
    Governments the world over are harnessing the positivity of the Indian festival of lights.
  • 15 Nov 2024
    • Russia
    • Iran
    • Israel
    • Yemen
    • United States

    What does Trump’s return mean for America’s relations with Russia?

    Ian Hill
    Whatever happens over the next four years, the underlying causes of Russia–US confrontation won’t go away.
  • 15 Nov 2024
    • Global Economy
    • Global Economic Governance
    • Poverty
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • Institutions
    • International Economy

    Economics as history: Assessing the 2024 Nobel Prize

    Stephen Grenville
    Rich country or poor country? Why a chain of causation proposed by this year’s winners is so controversial.
  • 15 Nov 2024
    • China
    • Defence & Security

    China makes a statement at the Zhuhai air show

    David Vallance
    The biannual event showcases China's technological and military ambitions, and offers some surprises this year.
  • 15 Nov 2024
    • Asean
    • Singapore
    • Southeast Asia
    • Australia and Asia
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Sustainability

    Is Southeast Asia ready for a regional power grid?

    Hannah Lord
    Australia is in pole position to partner with the region on cross-border electricity supply.
  • 14 Nov 2024
    • Australia
    • Australia's Economy
    • Free Trade
    • Trade
    • United States
    • US Economy

    Economic diplomacy: It’s populists vs plutocrats in Trump Take 2

    Greg Earl
    Australia’s hopes of a modest economic impact from the Trump administration’s actions will require navigating the financial tensions at its heart.
  • 14 Nov 2024
    • Asia
    • China
    • Indonesia

    Check, but not check-mate: Indonesia’s nine-dash line mistake

    Ristian Supriyanto
    China has won a diplomatic battle with Indonesia, but not the war over maritime claims in the South China Sea.
  • 14 Nov 2024
    • Australia
    • Australia and Climate Change
    • Climate change

    Who holds a hose? Climate change as a national security risk in Australian federalism

    Danielle Ireland-Piper
    The lines on a map might not be the sole legal determinant for an effective response to disasters and the consequences of climate change.
  • 14 Nov 2024
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    Will the Intelligence Review bring DIO into the light?

    David Schaefer
    Australia's Defence Intelligence Organisation is a national resource, and it should have a profile to match.
  • 13 Nov 2024
    • Thailand

    Thai foreign policy in the twilight zone

    Susannah Patton
    If foreign policy reflects domestic politics, its unsurprising that Thailand’s diplomacy is confused and haphazard.
  • 13 Nov 2024

    The Trumpist turn in US foreign policy

    Sam Roggeveen
    Trump's instinct for restraint could have a long future in both American political parties.
  • 13 Nov 2024
    • Global Economy
    • BRICS

    BRICS Pay as a challenge to SWIFT network

    Evan Freidin
    It’s just an idea for now – but enough to worry the Western world about an alternative international payment system.
  • 13 Nov 2024
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Middle East

    The declining fortunes of Afghanistan’s women

    Stéphanie Fillion
    Is the International Court of Justice a toothless tiger, or can a new legal battle truly turn the tide for women and girls?
  • 12 Nov 2024
    • Germany

    The claustrophobia of German politics

    Marcus Colla
    With the three-party governing coalition in tatters, this is politics in panic mode.
  • 12 Nov 2024
    • Asia
    • South China Sea

    Has Indonesia fallen into China's nine-dash line trap?

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    A new Indonesia-China joint statement betrays Indonesia’s national interest and looks like a big win for Beijing.
  • 12 Nov 2024
    • China
    • Russia

    The West’s unfounded Chussia Anxiety

    Geoff Raby
    Russia will not long tolerate its increasingly vasal-like status to China.
  • 11 Nov 2024
    • Australia
    • Sex and Gender

    Study exposes gender gap in foreign affairs reporting

    Andrea Carson
    Not only with male reporters, but the experts likely to be quoted or appear on opinion pages.
  • 11 Nov 2024
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia’s democratic transition: Why it matters for Southeast Asia and the Muslim world

    Ooi Kok Hin
    But progress could still be reversed.
  • 11 Nov 2024
    • Indonesia
    • Australia

    The cost of Albanese skipping Prabowo’s inauguration

    Susannah Patton
    Bilateral ties won’t be adversely affected, but errors like this change the way Australia is seen in the region.
  • 8 Nov 2024
    • Antarctica

    Is a fundamental governing principle of the Antarctic Treaty System under threat?

    Lyn Goldsworthy , Tony Press , Evan Bloom
    China and Russia seem to have thrown “precaution” to the wind.
  • 8 Nov 2024
    • Climate change
    • United States

    What Trump’s win means for global climate negotiations

    Ryan Neelam
    The US election result casts a shadow over next week’s UN climate talks in Azerbaijan. But the world can’t afford to down tools.
  • 8 Nov 2024
    • Australia
    • Australia and Climate Change
    • Climate change

    Climate calamity: The fine line between fact and fiction

    Tom Barber
    A post-apocalyptic Australia, ravaged by unliveable temperatures, isn’t that far-fetched.
  • 7 Nov 2024
    • Afghanistan

    The chance to reframe international engagement with Afghanistan

    George Varughese , Iain Payne
    The present approach isn’t working, but this is a critical moment to chart a different course.
  • 7 Nov 2024
    • Australia
    • United States

    Penny Wong is quizzed about Trump, again, again and again

    Daniel Flitton
    And her main message was to be confident about Australia.
  • 7 Nov 2024
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    Fake kidnaps and real dangers of disinformation in Pacific Islands

    Anouk Ride
    Islanders have long joked about “coconut wireless” storytelling – but more understanding of these networks is needed in the digital age.
  • 6 Nov 2024
    • The Trump Presidency
    • United States
    • US Elections

    America makes Trump great, again

    Daniel Flitton
    First thoughts on where Trump will steer US actions in Asia, the Pacific, and the rest of the world.
  • 6 Nov 2024
    • Europe
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Moldova and Georgia serve as geopolitical bellwethers

    Adam Simpson
    With the two countries on diverging paths after recent elections, the choice appears to be between Russia and the West.
  • 6 Nov 2024
    • Cyber Security
    • Technology
    • United States

    Where Harris and Trump agree on AI: Beat China

    Miah Hammond-Errey
    But can ethics keep pace with a desire for speed in development?
  • 6 Nov 2024
    • China
    • Australia
    • Energy
    • Resource security
    • BRICS

    New players on the bloc: Is BRICS+ a critical challenge?

    Marina Yue Zhang
    A growing roster of countries lined up in the grouping carries implications for Australia’s minerals policy.
  • 6 Nov 2024
    • Indonesia
    • Trade
    • Technology

    Indonesia takes a bite out of Apple, and sets itself a test for future investment

    Hilman Palaon
    The Local Content Requirement may only be a temporary setback for the tech giant, but it could raise concerns among potential foreign investors.
  • 5 Nov 2024
    • Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    What’s new in Russia’s latest nuclear statement?

    Sitara Noor
    Vladimir Putin has rattled his sabre once again in the face of US and NATO deliberations on Ukraine’s use of weapons.
  • 5 Nov 2024
    • Climate change

    It’s the politics, stupid: Three key reasons for slow progress on the new UN climate finance goal

    Melanie Pill
    The issue of who pays, how much and within what time frame are major sticking points between parties.
  • 5 Nov 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • Foreign Policy

    Tips for new world leaders: Keep it real, and keep it local

    Mark Pierce
    Those in the statecraft caper could do worse than to fake it until they make it.
  • 4 Nov 2024
    • Defence & Security

    Victory in 21st century conflict

    Mick Ryan
    Western powers need to re-acquaint themselves with a concept that is out of fashion.
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