23 Jan 2019
2019: a rough road ahead for Xi
The fortunes of China’s president have quickly soured, with economic troubles at home and pressure abroad.
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22 Jan 2019
The fate of three Canadians may now rest with Donald Trump
Beijing can justifiably be concerned about the detention of a citizen, but not hold foreigners in arbitrary retaliation. -
22 Jan 2019
Why the gloom? Global economic prospects
Reality, when it arrives, may turn out boringly routine – more-of-the-same rather than the drama of “Winter is coming”. -
22 Jan 2019
Encouraging Trump, the “germaphobe”, to go global on health
<p>How do you get a policymaker that is sceptical about the value of global health programs to support them?</p> -
22 Jan 2019
Indonesia: releasing Abu Bakar Ba’asyir wrong on all counts
A decision to release the notorious extremist only leaves Jokowi looking weak, out-manoeuvred, and poorly advised. -
21 Jan 2019
The politics of asylum-seeking: al-Qanun’s route to Canada
<p>Similar cases seldom have positive results, highlighting how they can be manipulated by political actors.</p> -
21 Jan 2019
Talking to the Taliban: challenges for Kabul
The Taliban wants to turn a stalemate into its favour after Washington declared a time-bound approach to a settlement. -
21 Jan 2019
Australia articulates its Indian Ocean priorities
Payne emphasised that it is in Australia’s vital national interest for the Indian Ocean to remain open and peaceful. -
18 Jan 2019
Syria: emerging consequences of the US withdrawal
Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria has actors scrambling to make sense of the ramifications. -
18 Jan 2019
Book Review: the Clinton fiction
Clinton’s book has nothing new to say about politics but it may offer some insight into his assessment of the world. -
18 Jan 2019
Brexit: British people vote with their feet
The potential appeal of Ireland post-Brexit has seen business headquarters leave London and passport applications surge. -
17 Jan 2019
Economic diplomacy: A new year of trade rows & development strife
<p>It’s back ... more debate over TPP membership, plus a hint why Kim quit, and the AIIB goes green.</p> -
17 Jan 2019
Indonesia’s elections: identity politics and olive branches
Is the reality of Indonesia’s politics forcing a hardliner to become more moderate? -
17 Jan 2019
Why China’s financial system remains closed
Large scale liberalisation of a financial system created by a decade-long credit binge would be reckless. -
16 Jan 2019
Timor-Leste’s forgotten Chinese
The Chinese-Timorese community face discrimination and stereotypes in the country they’ve long called home. -
16 Jan 2019
Brexit barneys and three big questions
The rejection of May’s Brexit deal has Daniel Flitton speaking to Philomena Murray to help make sense of the moment. -
16 Jan 2019
Pacific links: “You’re my best friend”
Scott Morrison on an island escapade, leaders serenade, and links and stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
16 Jan 2019
Aid mergers: no unscrambling the egg
<p>Boris Johnson should look to Australia before saddling the UK’s aid agency with a costly diplomatic merger.</p> -
16 Jan 2019
A China chip on New Zealand’s shoulder?
Huawei's proposal for Kiwis to build their own 5G infrastructure can't mask tensions between Wellington and Beijing. -
15 Jan 2019
Philippine alliance angst
A call for the Philippines' possible withdrawal from the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty has come as a surprise. -
15 Jan 2019
Cue the crickets: conspiracies and headaches in Havana
<p>Few noisy bugs and heap of hype is telling of the conspiratorial flavour in contemporary international politics.</p> -
15 Jan 2019
Could Ivanka Trump become the next World Bank President?
Past “gentlemen’s agreements” aside, deciding the next World Bank chief is not the sole prerogative of Donald Trump. -
15 Jan 2019
North Korea is eclipsing the Moon presidency
North Korea loves to talk, and talk, and talk, but South Korea has too many domestic problems to simply ignore. -
14 Jan 2019
What I missed last year: Japan, the unlikely overachiever
Far from being the sick man of Asia, Japan’s strengths appear set to grow. -
14 Jan 2019
Morrison in Vanuatu and Fiji: broadening, not deepening
Rather than another grand initiative for the Pacific, Scott Morrison should join up policy at home for deeper relations. -
14 Jan 2019
Why governments criticise China and then sign deals with Beijing
Despite anxiety about China’s growing footprint in South Asia and Africa, countries see a chance to balance past ties. -
11 Jan 2019
North Korea’s “selective détente”
North Korea is seeking to decouple South Korea and the US by widening the gap on their North Korea policies. -
11 Jan 2019
“The whales have won” – even as Japan sharpens its harpoons
Japan’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission may counterintuitively offer hope to conservation efforts. -
11 Jan 2019
Religious freedom in China: better than before?
Beijing has loosened rules on public worship, but its approach to religion is bound to the Party's political interests. -
10 Jan 2019
Cracks in walls and Trump’s border with Mexico
How does Donald Trump’s fixation with border fortifications sit in the context of historic and contemporary examples? -
10 Jan 2019
International broadcasting: the ABC vs the wisdom of the crowd
An incoming Australian government should review and rethink the purpose of state-funded international broadcasting. -
10 Jan 2019
Choking point: India’s environmental crisis
The country performs very badly on almost all metrics in protecting its environment, even with small strides forward. -
9 Jan 2019
Book review: Protecting the international order from Trump trauma
Kori Schake’s sober and clear-eyed analysis punctures both the realist sceptics and the liberal triumphalists. -
9 Jan 2019
Aid links: food theft in Yemen, open mics in India, and more
Links and stories from the aid and development sector. -
9 Jan 2019
Jim Kim quits the World Bank, an unexpected gift to Donald Trump
If he chooses, Trump now has the opportunity to push the Bank towards a more conservative global agenda. -
9 Jan 2019
The special one: Australia, Ireland and the US working visa fight
After a lobbying campaign, Australia will retain exclusive access to a special visa allowing people to work in the US. -
8 Jan 2019
Taiwan: Tsai Ing-wen’s battle to discipline the DPP
The Taiwanese president struggles to get the green light for DPP leadership in the 2020 presidential elections. -
8 Jan 2019
Myanmar: a country reluctant to help the world understand itself
Aung San Suu Kyi failed in her promises to the international community of a peaceful and democratic country. -
8 Jan 2019
The rude health of Cambodia’s Hun Sen
Speculation about succession by Hun Sen’s eldest son is an interesting talking point – that could go on a while yet. -
7 Jan 2019
Money talks, and Australia doesn’t have a G8 voice
Getting a seat at the table won’t depend on rankings tables but what a country can offer to the group. -
7 Jan 2019
How to save one million lives, and then millions more
Climate change is a health crisis: meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement would save lives. -
7 Jan 2019
Book review: Grappling with the legacy of Barack Obama
Ben Rhodes’ memoir of his years in the Obama White House defends his record but is tinged by doubt. -
4 Jan 2019
Best of The Interpreter 2018: Talking with Kim Jong-un
This was a year of extraordinary diplomacy on the Korean peninsula, summitry and circuses. -
3 Jan 2019
Best of The Interpreter 2018: Khashoggi, Skripal, deaths & duels
Read the best Interpreter pieces on the grim revival of state sanctioned assassinations. Allegedly. -
2 Jan 2019
Best of The Interpreter 2018: Forgotten corners of the world
Read this year's best Interpreter pieces on some of the most interesting but often overlooked parts of the world. -
31 Dec 2018
Best of The Interpreter 2018: The US-China trade war
The two largest economies in the world have spent the year exchanging threats of retaliatory tariffs. -
28 Dec 2018
Best of The Interpreter 2018: Press freedom in Southeast Asia
In a region marked by rulers with much to hide, these moves to silence the criticism of the mighty is worrying. -
27 Dec 2018
Best of The Interpreter 2018: the revolving door at the Lodge
Another year, another Prime Minister, and more upheaval at home to distract Australia abroad. -
24 Dec 2018
Best of The Interpreter 2018: Our top 10
The ten most popular Interpreter articles of 2018. -
22 Dec 2018
Weekend catch-up: Australia’s new infrastructure bank and more
South Korea looks north, the Anglosphere and India & the Bougainville referendum: the week that was on The Interpreter.