A deal involving several hundred Islamic State fighters who vacated the rugged Lebanese-Syrian border area is yet another example, if any more were needed, of how complex this conflict remains.

The tirelessly ingenious financial sector will find new ways of getting into trouble.

An agreement between Australia and Timor-Leste, humanitarian crisis experiences from around the world, public perception on aid and more.

Given the recent weaker growth in wages and output, along with a lacklustre jobs market, it's time for another look.

Accept mutual nuclear vulnerability with North Korea or embark on a major war on the Korean peninsula. There is no third option.

The military's use of the 'four cuts' doctrine, a decades-old insurgent-fighting strategy, is an ominous development for the Rohingya.

The key question is whether Kim Jung-un is developing nuclear weapons and missiles for deterrence, primarily against the US, or for aggression.

The Interpreter introduces a new podcast, who won the Doklam stand-off, how is Trump's Pakistan strategy like to play out, and more.

We need a more concerted effort to warn intrepid Australians that some countries see drugs as an existential threat.

Canberra Conversations is a new podcast interview series with some of the big names from the foreign-policy and national-security world in Australia's capital.

This is something trade policy experts understand but many market analysts do not.

In response to China, Delhi is re-framing all its Indian Ocean engagements - political, military and diplomatic.

This week's links also include lessons from Canada and Facebook acts on people smugglers' posts.

It’s time for the IMF to develop some operational guidelines for capital-flow management for emerging economies.

I understand the US Marine commander in the Pacific is willing to allow MRF-D to serve under Australian command if the operational need arises.

The superficial reading is that China essentially forced India into a humiliating backdown.

Whenever the Security Council membership is not unified, the Council cannot be effective. There are no exceptions.

The USMC and ADF operate well together, though they have their own distinct traditions and cultures that require some working through.

This week's links also include a look at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting and the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Milne Bay.

The EU States recognise that changing the approach taken by UNIFIL would risk making their troops a target of violent resistance.

If President Rodrigo Duterte is not careful, his legacy to the Philippines will be two newly revitalised insurgencies, not just one.

On Pakistan, Trump has said out loud what has until now been largely debated and threatened in private.

Not only has the jihadist threat increased, the nature of the threat has evolved significantly.

Japan is being tested as much as the missile itself.

Neither destroyer was showing Automatic Identification System data at the time of their accident. This was done to keep their identity as American warships secret.

Overall, the indications are that Abenomics has helped nudge the Japanese economy towards a stronger growth path.

Australia should develop a more robust and distinct preventing violent extremism (PVE) program that aims to support the existing capacities of - or mobilises - communities and individuals.

The Afghanistan Army, if widely mentored and well supported by its own intelligence and air and ground fire support, could have a significant effect on the Taliban in one to two years.

This week's links include President Trump linking foreign aid to cooperation in Afghanistan and the role of the private sector in Australian aid.

Hun Sen is preparing for next year’s elections, which means that he's determined to undermine, denigrate, and punish all those he sees as political enemies.

Three years after the military coup, the trial of Yingluck rehashes old grievances and threatens to unsettle the relative calm.

The influence of advisers is undoubtedly there, but how much will they mitigate the President’s disruptive tendencies?

If Beijing expects the Trump Administration to go soft on China following Bannon's dismissal, it's going to be disappointed.

This week's include also include the return of Telegram to Indonesia and wedding pix that went viral.

Has Syria been chemically disarmed?

There is a strong feeling in Delhi that China disregards India's aspirations to be a great power and is trampling on India's strategic space.

The stability of Australia’s commercial relationship with Japan conceals some significant developments.

These week's links also include asylum seeker news from Nauru, shoring up the borders in Bangladesh, and climate change refugees from PNG’s Carteret Islands.

A different angle on the US vs China economic partner debate, why private companies do better in Asia, and the new version of globalisation as per McKinsey's.

So long as bipartisanship on foreign and defence policy overrules argument and debate, any effort to give parliament a say on war will be pointless.

The US Navy’s mastery of engineering has long been a strength for the navy, but the requirement for all its line officers to spend time as platform engineers at sea may be at the expense of seamanship and navigation.

Harvard University scholar Graham Allison talks about his new book on US-China relations.

This week's links also include an examination of the historical significance of the Australia-PNG relationship for both countries.

It seems Trump has been co-opted by the powerful military and foreign policy establishment in Washington - memorably described as 'the Blob' by former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes.

Having achieved the status quo ante, one can well imagine the boffins at Cambridge congratulating themselves.

Under Mattis, the military leg will be well planned and well executed but the diplomatic and economic legs also require appropriate staffing and focus over an extended period,

There needs to be better recognition of the risks involved in not disarming North Korea.

China's leaders would very reluctantly back down if they were truly convinced that the alternative was war with America. But how would the US convince them of that?

Trump’s words and actions have had a significant impact, scaring Western businesses already wary of doing business with Iran and adding fuel to the growing fire between the US and its European allies.

When it comes to Germany and Russia, pragmatic economic interests run up against a philosophical commitment to human rights and a liberal European order, and adherence to the positions of NATO and the EU.