24 Oct 2022
Australia’s road to Geneva
The League of Nations gave delegates from the antipodes a taste for progressive internationalism that remains today.
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24 Oct 2022
US midterms: How Republican wins (or losses) could shape Asia policy
A form guide to the key races that will determine what role Republicans play in the US approach to regional challenges. -
21 Oct 2022
Waiting for the thaw: the Pacific hopeful on Australia-China reset
The island countries stand to benefit from any improvement in relations between two big development partners. -
20 Oct 2022
Supporting democracy without fighting autocracies
A binary Australian foreign policy isn’t on the cards. Engagement is still the best way to support regional democracy. -
20 Oct 2022
Economic diplomacy: The IMF faces a US$ reality check
The Bretton Woods institutions may face existential challenges from the decoupling of the United States and China. -
20 Oct 2022
China: Xi, the Party, and the endless struggle
The latest national congress declares ambition for the people central to all reforms – with the Party’s guiding hand. -
19 Oct 2022
Competing and cooperating: the paradox in US strategy
The new National Security Strategy at least acknowledges the shape of the problem even if not yet providing an answer. -
19 Oct 2022
The banality of Putin’s evil
Putin is driven by the imperatives of regime security – preserving his kleptocratic rule – not national security. -
18 Oct 2022
Development finance – how much, done how?
Identifying institutional options for infrastructure finance in the Asia Pacific. -
18 Oct 2022
Will the three Ts tie India and Taiwan?
If New Delhi wants Taipei to help build supply chain security, it should expect Taiwan to ask for more political support. -
17 Oct 2022
Under pressure: the present and future of international order
The order fashioned for the 80 years since the Second World War has been far better than the 30 years before it. -
17 Oct 2022
Could China save the world?
It is difficult to imagine Xi Jinping brokering peace in Ukraine, but if China wants to be respected, this is a chance. -
14 Oct 2022
Can China build a “community” for shared oceans?
Amiable talk about safeguarding partners and protecting marine environment hasn’t allayed suspicions. -
14 Oct 2022
The good oil: Israel and Lebanon strike a border deal
In a region where good news is rare, patient diplomacy can celebrate a win. -
14 Oct 2022
Enemies of education are back in Malala’s hometown?
Fresh attacks by the Pakistani Taliban mark an alarming regression in the decade-long progress made in the region. -
13 Oct 2022
Found in translation: Australia and China’s shared history
A memoir on collective historical baggage has much to teach about the evolution and maturation of both nations. -
12 Oct 2022
World Mental Health Day: reflections from Papua New Guinea
Misunderstandings about the challenges involved are resulting in stigma, unemployment and isolation. -
12 Oct 2022
If Russia breaks the nuclear taboo
Would the use of a lower yield atomic weapon really prompt the same catastrophic logic of escalation? -
12 Oct 2022
Xi Jinping: when enough is too much
Worried about the rise of China? Maybe you should be rooting for another five-year term from the supreme leader. -
12 Oct 2022
Liz Truss and foreign policy: expect the unexpected
The new PM may see global affairs as welcome theatre to demonstrate leadership and distract from domestic pressure. -
11 Oct 2022
The Global Fragility Act in PNG: can the US succeed?
A seemingly radical approach that relies on prevention and relinquishing control may be a foreign policy game-changer. -
10 Oct 2022
EU in the driver’s seat on Indo-Pacific trade deals
Is the New Zealand–European Union free trade agreement an omen for Australia’s negotiations? -
10 Oct 2022
Sustainable catch: better Indonesia-Australia cooperation on fishing
A new agreement is a chance to address the core problems of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. -
10 Oct 2022
Australia and Pacific Islands: Polls apart?
Without a comprehensive public opinion survey of Pacific people, common attitudes can be challenging to identify. -
7 Oct 2022
A new aid strategy: purpose, priorities, and plumbing
The government has a chance to define the criteria used in the hard choices about how to allocate scarce aid dollars. -
6 Oct 2022
Come what may, North Korea perseveres
No manner of sanctions appears to dent Pyongyang’s determination to remain solitary and nuclear armed. -
6 Oct 2022
Economic diplomacy: Time for transparency on aid reform
A new study reveals difficult trade-offs between development spending on governance and the decline of democracy. -
6 Oct 2022
Maldives: the legacy of Islamic State
More Maldivians per capita went to Syria to fight than any other country. Reintegration is a significant challenge. -
5 Oct 2022
A free trade zone for Timor-Leste and Indonesia
Regional stability, economic resilience and mutual prosperity – what’s not to like about a cross-border FTZ? -
5 Oct 2022
Hot button issue: North Korea’s bold new nuclear stance
Regional leaders would do well to focus on engagement with Pyongyang after missile launches set a dangerous precedent. -
4 Oct 2022
Diversity and inclusion: Australia’s global aim to walk the talk
It helps to ensure feelings of respect and value infuse diplomacy – and the management of foreign relations, too. -
4 Oct 2022
Islamic State: women, justice, and a complex impasse
What charges are laid against women returned to Australia will help us better understand the role they played in Syria. -
4 Oct 2022
Building a better development finance institution: Australia’s opportunity
Canberra can learn a lot about risk appetite and the culture of financing from those already in the space. -
4 Oct 2022
Philippines’ subs: the AUKUS inspiration
Manila can make its mark in the Indo-Pacific by choosing its friends, and its maritime deterrents, strategically. -
3 Oct 2022
“See it through my lens”: the optics of fashion diplomacy
Sunglasses are a staple in the US President’s diplomatic style but not every leader can share the benefit. -
3 Oct 2022
Greater Sunrise: Can Timor-Leste play the “China card”?
Beijing is a minor player in development finance for Dili – but it’s a different story with state-owned enterprises. -
29 Sep 2022
Ending capital punishment for good in Papua New Guinea
In PNG’s history, the death penalty has now been abolished twice. The country can take a step to see it never returns. -
29 Sep 2022
Myanmar: a desperate junta trying, and failing, to shore up its legitimacy
Sentencing Sean Turnell to jail won’t help the Myanmar junta’s international isolation or its domestic problems. -
29 Sep 2022
Water scarcity challenges China’s development model
With its industry and agriculture reliant on diminishing H2O, a crisis looms for the world’s most populous country. -
29 Sep 2022
Iran protests: the more things change …
Iranians see demonstrations as a chance to register their voice – but that doesn’t mean the regime is about to topple. -
28 Sep 2022
Buying the wrong submarine
Being able to sink ships doesn’t end a war. Australia should consider ballistic nuclear missile subs as an alternative. -
28 Sep 2022
“Predatory cult”: the shadow of Unification Church over Abe’s funeral
Researcher Sarah Hightower explains Japan’s reckoning over the influence of a controversial sect in Japanese politics. -
27 Sep 2022
After Mahsa Amini’s death, Iran protests signal a generational shift
The regime is struggling to contain demonstrations that demand nothing less than an end to the Islamic Republic. -
27 Sep 2022
The president vs the judge: How Kiribati came to a constitutional standoff
Judicial independence and access to justice is at risk as judges face deportation and suspension from office. -
26 Sep 2022
Animal attractions: India confronts a neighbourhood dilemma
Wildlife doesn’t care for political boundaries, but nationalism can prove a stubborn obstacle to conservation efforts. -
26 Sep 2022
Taiwan: Biden risks talking himself into a war he cannot win
The military balance is shifting China’s way, and half-abandoning a policy of strategic ambiguity won’t change that. -
25 Sep 2022
A neck-and-neck election for the future of the internet
As the war in Ukraine goes from bad to worse, Russia may still win a vote to reshape the net as we know it. -
25 Sep 2022
Ukraine conflict: turning point?
Putin’s new escalatory threats and the near-existential battle for Russia and its president. -
23 Sep 2022
Six reasons to be cautious about Australia establishing a DFI
As soon as public money is on the table, there will be a line of players looking to “clip the ticket”. -
21 Sep 2022
Making sense of Indonesia’s fuel riots
Cutting subsidies is a step in the right direction, but a more robust social safety net is ultimately a better fix.