8 Aug 2018
Malaysia: Mahathir navigates the region
How much has Mahathir changed in his orientation towards the West in the last 15 years?
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8 Aug 2018
Tips for DFAT: how to Facebook
So much digital diplomacy is lost to the ether, but a few posts, in a few surprising places, are a real hit. -
7 Aug 2018
Kiwi Act marks “new” relationship with US
The first significant pro–New Zealand legislation since the Senate ratified the ANZUS treaty in 1951 has been passed. -
7 Aug 2018
What Kim Jong-un really wants hasn’t changed
Donald Trump has leverage. Pyongyang wants something he has to help with the parlous state of the North Korean economy. -
7 Aug 2018
Indo-Pacific: where is the money coming from?
Trilateral investment in infrastructure is a step in the right direction, but significant budget details are lacking. -
7 Aug 2018
Timor and Australia: a new chapter or a stalemate?
After the maritime boundary treaty, tensions remain over development of the Greater Sunrise gas fields. -
6 Aug 2018
International broadcasting: not so simple as ABC
Australia’s future international public broadcasting should be placed in the hands of a new independent body. -
6 Aug 2018
Pakistan: the tough road ahead for Imran Khan
A hostile opposition, an economy in crisis and navigating a tense history with India confront Pakistan’s new government. -
6 Aug 2018
Wanted: Yingluck
The requested extradition of Thailand’s former prime minister warns of trouble ahead for free and fair elections. -
6 Aug 2018
Idols in South Korea and Japan
A reality TV contest for pop music contestants from South Korea and Japan has an undertone of national competition, too. -
4 Aug 2018
Weekend catch-up: duelling infrastructure and more
Prime Minister Imran Khan, trans-Tasman squabbles, and mob lynchings in India: the week that was on The Interpreter. -
3 Aug 2018
An emerging Indo-Pacific infrastructure strategy
The outlines of a potentially promising four-pronged approach to the region’s infrastructure needs can be discerned. -
3 Aug 2018
Beijing’s maritime gifts
China appears to be stepping up its maritime capacity-building efforts. -
3 Aug 2018
Can the Fed resist Trump’s pressure?
The Federal Reserve faces a president from the world of real estate, where low interest rates are always good. -
3 Aug 2018
South Korea’s first “human rights president”
Moon Jae-in’s unwillingness to speak up for the vulnerable is disappointing, given his record on human rights. -
2 Aug 2018
Drones, clones, and camera phones
How the use of surveillance technology balances civil liberties and public safety depends on the government in charge. -
2 Aug 2018
Economic diplomacy brief: infrastructure and trade
US–Japan–Australia infrastructure cooperation, ADB circumspect about China’s BRI, and more. -
2 Aug 2018
India: don’t blame WhatsApp for the lynch mobs
In a climate of hate, vigilantism has been allowed to run amok, and the perpetrators of violence enjoy impunity. -
2 Aug 2018
ASEAN might not be the way
Several Southeast Asian nations fall short of adhering to a “rules-based order” and may not be the hedge against China. -
1 Aug 2018
China’s “rule of law in international relations”
No one is much paying heed but understanding this concept might be key to comprehending a China-led international order. -
1 Aug 2018
Aid links: dealing with data deluge, more
Fighting pessimism, measuring success, and other stories from the aid and development sector. -
1 Aug 2018
NZ and Australia: Big Brothers or Distant Cousins?
New Zealand needs to stamp an identity on its new Pacific policy. -
1 Aug 2018
Against female genital mutilation in India
A petition campaign has sparked debate on a cruel practice too long ignored in India’s Dawoodi Bohra community. -
1 Aug 2018
Managing the release of convicted terrorists
Australia is trialling new rehabilitation programs that balance the rights of convicted terrorists with public safety. -
31 Jul 2018
The new US–Japan–Australia infrastructure fund
Without significant resources, the initiative risks looking like an attempt to challenge China, and falling short. -
31 Jul 2018
When friends disagree: New Zealand and Australia
While New Zealand’s Prime Minister has been on leave, a new chapter in trans-Tasman relations has begun. -
31 Jul 2018
Sri Lanka failing on human rights
A new UN report on protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country makes for depressing reading. -
31 Jul 2018
Perspectives on “rules-based international order”
Three fault lines – nostalgia, challengers, and alternatives – seem to divide views on the global politics catchcry. -
30 Jul 2018
Julie Bishop’s new Timor-Leste chapter
Tension remains between Australia and its neighbour despite the minister’s optimistic words. -
30 Jul 2018
BRICS and mortar
<p>Against a backdrop of instability, BRICS is gaining currency and, potentially, influence.</p> -
30 Jul 2018
Imran Khan as Pakistan’s Prime Minister elect
Seen either as an outsider or a military puppet, the former cricket hero will lead a country in crisis. -
30 Jul 2018
North Korea: repatriating fallen Americans
Hopes are high of returning home the long-lost war dead, but commemoration and remembrance are emotionally charged. -
28 Jul 2018
Weekend catch-up: satire explaining the US, more
Rebuilding Marawi, a dam collapse in Laos, Trump emulating Putin, and more: the week that was on The Interpreter. -
27 Jul 2018
Bomb, bomb Iran
Bombing Iran has been spoken of, allegedly planned and threatened for years, but there is no sign it is about to occur. -
27 Jul 2018
China: vaccines and rumours from Zhongnanhai
Amid whispers of possible infighting, President Xi Jinping remains powerful while Premier Li Keqiang seeks gains. -
27 Jul 2018
Kazakhstan steps into the sun
Kazakhstan is forging a leading role in Central Asia, with Moscow slow to recognise the country is eluding its grasp. -
27 Jul 2018
Business aid and aiding business
A growing recognition is that business value can be measured by being accountable to non-financial stakeholders. -
26 Jul 2018
Cambodia’s election: where the numbers lie
Strings of numbers that appear in social media comments are portentous in Cambodia’s stifled political climate. -
26 Jul 2018
The Sabah question
<p>The Philippines and Malaysia are sparring over territory as Manila looks at a change to country’s constitution.</p> -
26 Jul 2018
POTUS does a Putin
<p>When a US president’s policies are indistinguishable from the KGB heirs’, the world is indeed turned upside down.</p> -
26 Jul 2018
Egypt’s new media law is ahead of the curve
The regime has unabashedly claimed that what is up is down and what is black is white. -
25 Jul 2018
Trump and the rebirth of satire
When Nazis proudly march in America’s southern cities, do we really need comedians to point out how bad people can be? -
25 Jul 2018
Laos dam collapse and stress on the Mekong
The dam collapse in Laos once again focuses attention on the massive expansion of hydropower in the Mekong Basin. -
25 Jul 2018
Pacific links: betel nut danger, Nauru mine, more
China’s “Peace Ark” sails to Vanuatu and other stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
25 Jul 2018
The future of work
“Zero-sum competition”, “distributional”, and “gig” jobs are what most of us can look forward to. -
25 Jul 2018
Facebook and Vietnam’s new cybersecurity law
The social media platform is an American commercial legacy, adapted by locals for politics, and now mistrusted. -
24 Jul 2018
Seeing is believing: Pyongyang has kept a promise
Satellite images show North Korea is indeed dismantling its rocket engine test site as was pledged in Singapore. -
24 Jul 2018
Trade: the US should be isolated, not accommodated
Donald Trump has consistently implemented his threats around “unfair trade” – and the best thing to do would be nothing. -
24 Jul 2018
India: a “major power” still below its potential
Despite ranking fourth in the Asia Power Index, to leap the gap, India may need to rethink the “cost” of alignment. -
24 Jul 2018
Chinese chimera: the real concern with the BRI
Beneficiaries should be wary of the gap between Beijing’s rhetorical promises and the reality of its investments.