Donald Trump has recessed himself and Moon Jae-in looks to have the political support for a big-bang approach to a final status deal with North Korea – doubtful as the outcome might be.

Despite incidents of violence, opinion on all sides has increasingly converged towards a peaceful resolution to end the ongoing strife in Afghanistan.

Links and stories from the aid and development sector.

Battening hatches and waiting for the Trump storm to pass is hardly a pragmatic solution to concerns of a world in flux.

Overcoming the politics of victimhood is one way Japan’s leader could involve himself again in regional denuclearisation talks.

The countries are expanding bilateral relations in the energy, investment, and security sectors.

Healing the rift between the current regime and many Vietnamese abroad is a cause long overdue.

The week that was on The Interpreter.

<p>Hosting the tournament is a chance to show off to the world, and offers a snapshot of perceptions of the host country.</p>

Lost trust between leaders and policy concerns under Trump have hardened into an existential crisis.

<p>Pyongyang has pledged to dismantle a rocket engine test stand, which is less of a concession than it might seem.</p>

China’s political elite know that this is only the beginning, but have several reasons to be pleased.

With the relationship shifting towards conciliation, human rights language has largely disappeared from Trump’s vocabulary.

Chinese infrastructure investment in Pakistan diverts attention from much-needed reform of the country’s unresponsive economy.

Anthony Bubalo, author of “Remaking the Middle East”, reflects on his changed priorities when observing the Middle East.

The real agenda in US–North Korea talks may be economic and political, rather than about arms.

<p>Links and updates from across the Pacific.</p>

The South Korean President’s shuttle diplomacy may fracture his relationship with the US.

Outrage over extrajudicial killings is dominating conversation ahead of general elections later this year.

The jogging bodyguards alongside Kim Jong-un’s limousine are more than a charade.

<p>Donald Trump deserves credit for creating a moment that could – maybe – escape the madness of destruction.</p>

<p>The more pretence there is agreement between countries when there is not, the more it undermines the credibility of other commitments leaders make at summits.</p>

Donald Trump has a unique chance to turn negotiations to his advantage and that of about 2000 survivors of the A-bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki who wound up in North Korea.

The novel mechanism that solved the Timor Sea dispute may not have the same success in other complex and highly contested cases across the region.

How The Interpreter has followed a remarkable few months of on-again off-again diplomacy.

The week that was on The Interpreter.

Publishing will be light on Monday.

Censorship has decimated a once vibrant media landscape, and the restrictions are growing.

Despite abandoning attempts to make same-sex relationships a crime, the politics around the LGBT community remains a flashpoint in Indonesia.

Australians have been passengers, if not active participants, in our own polarisation.

Greg Earl with economic news from across the region.

Beijing’s nomenclature belligerence may actually be working in Tapei’s favour.

Despite a new agreement after a spike in ceasefire violations, Kashmir continues to divide India–Pakistan relations.

Industrial nations helped the US export its way out of trouble in the 1980s but are now less inclined to assist America with economic problems of its own making.

South Korean, Japanese, and Western elites have painted themselves into a corner on complete, verifiable, irreversible nuclear disarmament.

Ima Abdulrahim and Sandra Hamid talk religion and politics in Indonesia with the Lowy Institute’s Matthew Busch.

Links and updates from across the migration and border policy fields.

“Yellow is Forbidden” tells the story of Chinese fashion standing side by side with European fashion houses.

While the downsides of Facebook are obvious, it is not clear that a temporary ban is the answer.

After the South China Sea, Beijing’s “salami slicing” strategy is moving along Southeast Asia’s longest river.

Some local leaders are putting short-term political gain ahead of constructive participation in a referendum process.

Determining the neutral rate can determine how much stimulus an economy requires, and important policy implications follow if present low estimates are correct.

After nearly two dozen bilateral meetings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Japan’s Shinzo Abe still cannot show meaningful progress on a territorial dispute between the two nations.

The US Secretary of Defense fleshed out the Trump administration’s “free and open Indo-Pacific” strategy with aplomb.

The Indian Prime Minister intended to reassure, and hinted only obliquely at some of the challenges confronting India and the region.

A love of country is not always synonymous with an endorsement of the government when speaking with Chinese students in Australia.

The week that was on The Interpreter.

Myanmar may hope to relieve international pressure over the Rohingya refugees, but a new arrangement with the UN could also lead to greater transparency in northern Rakhine State.

Taiwan would be well advised to improve its defences and make itself a tough nut to crack.

The US and North Korea are far apart, but look beneath the surface and there is a chance for agreement.