Articles | Lowy Institute

4 Dec 2018
Russia
Violence, confusion, and conspiracy theories in the Kerch Strait

Victor Abramowicz

Both Moscow and Kiev have pointed fingers at the other as the cause of the crisis in the Kerch Strait – who’s to blame?
4 Dec 2018
Afghanistan
Dilemmas in Afghanistan’s paradoxical peace drama

Abbas Farasoo

How can peace talks with the Taliban lead to a durable peace when there is no domestic or regional consensus?
3 Dec 2018
United States

G20

China
Xi and Trump at G20: A tariff truce

Merriden Varrall

The risk of damage to the global economy is just as real as last week.
3 Dec 2018
Defence & Security

Australia
Veterans fight back against the marketing enemy at the gates

Rodger Shanahan

Veterans respond to the call for the public to thank them for their service.
3 Dec 2018
Nuclear Weapons

North Korea

South Korea
Why denuclearisation is less important for South Korea

Robert E Kelly

South Korea has lived under direct North Korean threat for decades and not just because of the North’s nuclear weapons.
3 Dec 2018
India
Taking the air in north India

Robin Jeffrey

Smog and haze pollution in India might be just bad enough to bind the will for action – although the odds aren't good.
1 Dec 2018
United States
George H W Bush: the internationalist president

Tony Walker

Marshalling an international force to turn back the illegal invasion of Kuwait proved the high point of his career.
1 Dec 2018
Weekend catch-up: G20, journos in China & shirtfrontasi revisited

The Interpreter

Trump and Xi meet in Argentina, Taiwan's election fallout and Asia's space race: the week that was on The Interpreter.
30 Nov 2018
Australia in the World
Marise Payne: charting the battle lines for Australian security

Alex Oliver

The Foreign Minister’s speech follows a run of major foreign and defence policy speeches ahead of the poll that matters.
30 Nov 2018
Iraq War

Australia
Review: lessons for Australia and Britain from Iraq War

Garry Woodard

A new book demonstrates Britain’s decision to go to war in Iraq was one of politics with unintended consequences.
30 Nov 2018
United States

North Korea

South Korea
North Korea’s emerging blackmail strategy

Khang Vu

A deadlock in negotiation between the US and South Korea leaves Pyongyang to make all the gains.
30 Nov 2018
China
Wang Qishan and China’s charm offensive against US trade war

Stuart Lau

China’s vice-president and right-hand man to Xi Jinping is known as “China’s firefighter” and is playing a key role.
29 Nov 2018
Europe

United States

Russia
Russia-Ukraine: soggy response to Kerch aggression

John Besemeres

It is not tensions that are escalating but the relentless Russian acts of aggression against Ukraine.
29 Nov 2018
China
China, where not all media are created equal

Elaine Jeffreys

A rare official apology hints at the delicate calculations and constraints that frame journalistic freedom in China.
29 Nov 2018
South Korea
South Korea’s quandary: what to do about MIKTA?

Jeffrey Robertson

The group once called a called a new dynamic in diplomacy is struggling, but the Korean peninsula might offer a role.
29 Nov 2018
Asia

War Crimes

Cambodia
International justice: tackling impunity in Asia

Priya Pillai

Trials in Cambodia, while fraught, may help deliver accountability for crimes against humanity across the region.
28 Nov 2018
China
The forces needed to protect the Belt and Road

David Brewster

The Karachi consulate attack highlights China’s security problems in securing projects and Chinese nationals abroad.
28 Nov 2018
Taiwan
Key takeaways from the Taiwan elections

Lauren Dickey

The Kuomintang made big gains which have given the party a second opportunity at political relevance.
28 Nov 2018
Pacific Islands
Pacific links: APEC reactions, “a summit like no other”, more

Alexandre Dayant

Navy bases, journalist suspension, deals with China, and stories from the Pacific islands region.
28 Nov 2018
Technology
Asia’s space sale

Morris Jones

Spaceflight across Asia has advanced tremendously in recent decades, and a new trend is evolving.
28 Nov 2018
Pacific Islands
Charting a more sustainable development path in the Pacific

Majella Hurney

Competing to counter the influence of China in the Pacific suggests that Australia may have lost its way.
27 Nov 2018
Global Economy
Logic at the wayside at G20

Merriden Varrall

The success of the G20 will rely on leaders to agree in a world where “me first” is privileged over cooperation.
27 Nov 2018
Australia

Indonesia
Israel embassy debacle: can Australia strongarm Indonesia again?

Ross Taylor

Should Morrison play hardball with Indonesia on the proposal to move the Australian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem?
27 Nov 2018
Myanmar
Myanmar’s skewed democracy was predictable

JJ Rose

There are three factors that impact heavily on Myanmar’s inability to truly embrace democracy.
27 Nov 2018
Global Economy

The Trump Presidency
“America First” and global economic governance

Stephen Grenville

Halcyon days when the US built international institutions that would benefit all and foster globalisation – over?
26 Nov 2018
Afghanistan
Afghanistan: the Hazaras are not safe

William Maley , Niamatullah Ibrahimi

It would be an act of common decency for Australia to put a moratorium on all removals of Hazaras to Afghanistan.
26 Nov 2018
Asean

Thailand
Thailand should lead ASEAN with a migrant worker agenda

Ruji Auethavornpipat

Bangkok’s ambition of leading ASEAN, stymied by domestic strife, can be achieved by combating labour trafficking.
26 Nov 2018
China
Feminism and femininity in Xi Jinping’s “New Era”

Jane Golley

It has been a bad year for feminist ideas and activism in China.
24 Nov 2018
Weekend catch-up: APEC wash-up, Cambodia’s genocide ruling, more

The Interpreter

Health security woes, China squeezes Australian farmers, and the Andaman islands: the week that was on The Interpreter.
23 Nov 2018
Pacific Islands

Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting

Australia
Time we heard the Pacific’s take on the Pacific

Mary-Louise O’Callaghan

Should we really lament the passing of the old-fashioned foreign correspondent, or take a chance for something new?
23 Nov 2018
Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting

Australia and the Pacific
Morrison and the Pacific: the good, the gaffe, and the omission

William Fisher

The rediscovery of the Pacific covers important ground but raising Australia’s broadcast voice is a chance to do better.
23 Nov 2018
China
China: a party of governance and control, not revolution

Simone van Nieuwenhuizen

It seems counterintuitive for the Party to suppress Marxist activists yet it can hardly afford “class struggle”.
23 Nov 2018
Asean

Malaysia
From the high horse: Malaysia’s problematic track record

Rob Edens

Mahathir’s portrait of racial harmony in Malaysia is inspiring – except, of course, for being demonstrably false.
22 Nov 2018
Australia

China
Barley and bases: China stings Australian farmers

Alice Slevison

China has launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of barley from Australia – agriculture or politics?
22 Nov 2018
Pakistan
Try as it might, Pakistan still needs IMF help

Adnan Aamir

The region won’t bailout Pakistan, yet turning to the IMF may force the country to disclose its secret deals with China.
22 Nov 2018
Asia

Global Economy
Economic diplomacy: Indonesian trade, RCEP and PNG aid

Greg Earl

Party games over the value of FTAs, finding the cash for commitments, and better investments than luxury cars at APEC.
22 Nov 2018
China

Technology
Beijing’s online gaming clampdown

Elliott Zaagman

Chinese government regulations may be irreversibly damaging some of its most innovative and profitable industries.
21 Nov 2018
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: refining agreements in the Greater Sunrise

Michael Sainsbury

Timor-Leste’s sees a purchase of US energy group ConocoPhilips’s stake in Greater Sunrise as a “seat at the table”.
21 Nov 2018
India
The growing attention on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Aarti Betigeri

New Delhi has been increasing its military presence in recognition of the islands’ strategic value.
21 Nov 2018
Aid links: bad weather for the Rohingya, Oxfam scandal, more

Alexandre Dayant

Rohingya forced to abandon their only shelter during landslides, floods, and unexpected events.
21 Nov 2018
Pacific Islands

Australia
Australia finds itself at a Pacific crossroads

Carlisle Richardson

Australia should foster more sustainable relationships in the Pacific.
21 Nov 2018
Australia
Australia’s Indo-Pacific health security initiative

Adam Kamradt-Scott

Australia’s new health security plan is a strong statement but requires ambitious investment to lock in early gains.
20 Nov 2018
Defence & Security
Combat drones: Australia’s uncertain future

Sam Roggeveen

When it comes to stealthy combat drones, momentum is with China right now. That’s a problem for Australia.
20 Nov 2018
Myanmar
Myanmar’s press freedom mirage

Melissa Crouch

Myanmar’s privileging access to some and silencing of others exposes the state’s priorities and preoccupations.
20 Nov 2018
Europe

European Union

United Kingdom
Brexit: the Northern Ireland conundrum

Luke Dawes

In a break from the past, Sinn Fein should take up its long empty seats in Westminster and offer a key to negotiations.
20 Nov 2018
Cambodia
Cambodia’s genocide verdict: better late than never

Milton Osborne

The Khmer Rouge trials reinforce the criminality of the Pol Pot regime but the glacial pace leaves much to be desired
19 Nov 2018
Papua New Guinea
Conflict, romance, and PNG: the APEC Summit

Jonathan Pryke , Shane McLeod

For the first time in the summit’s history, leaders failed to agree on a final communique, but plenty else happened.
19 Nov 2018
Indonesia
Indonesia’s elections: Jokowi-Ma’ruf appeal to middle ground

Greta Nabbs-Keller

Jokowi’s running mate Ma’ruf Amin is reinventing himself as a proponent of moderate Islam.
19 Nov 2018
Fiji Elections

Fiji
Fiji election, from the polling booth

Christopher Mudaliar

Fiji First’s narrow election win had to contend with rain, rumours, and regulations.
19 Nov 2018
Taiwan
What to watch in the Taiwan elections

Lauren Dickey

These elections are a barometer for the ruling party and will provide a sense of the public's satisfaction with it.