13 Dec 2021
The Interpreter’s 2021 favourites: reconnecting with music and art
Australia might have been locked off from the world in Covid times, but culture knows no bounds.
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13 Dec 2021
Changing my mind about AUKUS
What I said then, and what I think now, about the nuclear-powered subs announcement that caught everyone by surprise. -
13 Dec 2021
History in the making: AUKUS, allyship and the 1957 Defence Review
Menzies era rationalism offers insight into Australia’s pragmatic approach to security partnerships. -
13 Dec 2021
Erdoǧan loses his way
As Turkey’s economy falters, its strongman president is falling in the polls – the implications may be far reaching. -
13 Dec 2021
Myanmar’s annus horribilis
The security situation is more complex and dangerous than it has been since the 1950s, without a resolution in sight. -
10 Dec 2021
Duterte is playing both sides
Whether in relations with the United States or China, the Philippines remains a plaything in power politics. -
10 Dec 2021
Erdoǧan loses his way
As Turkey’s economy falters, its strongman president is falling in the polls – the implications may be far reaching. -
9 Dec 2021
Europe is finally getting serious about China
The Global Gateway and Germany’s new government suggests trouble ahead for EU-China relations. -
9 Dec 2021
The dual roles of PNG politicians, and why they fail at both
By focusing on service delivery closer to home, MPs are neglecting their mandated role as national lawmakers. -
8 Dec 2021
Maldives embroiled in Mauritius‑UK tussle over Chagos
A seemingly tranquil archipelago in the central Indian Ocean has wide-ranging strategic significance for key players. -
8 Dec 2021
AUKUS debate “influenced France’s attitude towards New Caledonia”
Local leaders – loyalists and independence advocates alike – believe the subs cancelation has coloured the French view. -
7 Dec 2021
Taming the “grey zone”
It has become something of a catch-all phrase. But if everything is a grey zone tactic, to what extent is this helpful? -
7 Dec 2021
In 2021, interest in Australian education has waned for Indians
Singled out by travel bans, exploited at work and a sense local standards are slipping has turned Indian students off. -
6 Dec 2021
Solomon Islands – where world news is all local
The coverage of the latest crisis was a showcase of Solomon Islands journalists telling the story of their own country. -
6 Dec 2021
Covid in Asia: the immediate payoff of donating vaccines
The latest Lowy Institute Asia Power Index affirms that goodwill goes to the generous. -
3 Dec 2021
Twenty years of BRICS
As analysis by acronym, it has been a stunning success. But for reorganising global economic governance? -
3 Dec 2021
FOCAC: No mention of controversies while China sticks to a game plan
While largely business as usual, China’s major summit with African leaders did signal some important shifts. -
3 Dec 2021
Only a truly national security strategy can forestall disaster
It’s not China but a changing climate that will most threaten Australia’s way of life in the century ahead. -
2 Dec 2021
Economic diplomacy: Free trade vs economic resilience
From Chinese iPhones to university classrooms, trade in services is being redefined. -
2 Dec 2021
Russia, more than China, leaves India with a dilemma
Navigating Taiwan strife seems simple compared to India’s awkward position on Ukraine. -
2 Dec 2021
Honouring the dead on the path to Korean peace
Recovering troop remains and negotiating denuclearisation are vital to end-of-war declarations on the Korean peninsula. -
1 Dec 2021
Kurt Campbell on what America is for, “rather than what we’re against”
The White House “Asia tsar” spoke with Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Fullilove on the shape of the region. -
1 Dec 2021
Philippines: diagnosing the infodemic
Fake news is harder to spot than ever. Young voters need to get savvy before the country’s 2022 election. -
1 Dec 2021
Increasingly illiberal Thailand
By stifling free expression, authorities are shutting off any prospect of change that is broadly acceptable to all. -
30 Nov 2021
Border closures should not be Australia’s default response
The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is a risk to manage but not at the expense of leaving people in limbo. -
30 Nov 2021
Solomon Islands deployment: Australia must meet obligations to women
The risks to local women’s security are well understood. Following plans already in place should be a priority. -
30 Nov 2021
New Zealand: No longer Australia’s Pacific security partner?
Wellington has appeared slow to respond to a crisis in Solomon Islands where once it would have been a regional leader. -
30 Nov 2021
Time to step up on global kleptocracy
Among other vital issues, Australia’s interests rely on the country taking a tough stance on corrupt wealth. -
29 Nov 2021
The Kremlin may be tiring of the impasse in eastern Ukraine
In upping the ante, Putin might see a chance to break the deadlock while Europe is distracted and the US preoccupied. -
29 Nov 2021
The Doha accord and Taliban legitimacy
Afghanistan’s new government has a full deck of cards to play in the security concerns of regional neighbours. -
26 Nov 2021
Opportunity lost: Australia’s Antarctic aerodrome cancelled
If the Antarctic Treaty System does fail, this decision may be regretted. The challenge now is to ensure it does not. -
26 Nov 2021
Honiara as the smoke subsides
The riots in Solomon Islands this week follow a pattern of past unrest – yet with important symbolic differences, too. -
26 Nov 2021
Trouble on the Mekong
Countries along one of Asia’s longest rivers need to address the effects of climate change and overdevelopment. -
25 Nov 2021
Dark days for Honiara in the shadow of geopolitics
Solomon Islands finds itself tangled in a web of deep grievances and duelling powers keen to curry favour. -
25 Nov 2021
North Korea: Law, but not as we know it
Authoritarian leaders do not allow the final supremacy of courts but even a patina of legal function helps cement rule. -
24 Nov 2021
Paul Keating may be the “Grand Appeaser”, but is he wrong?
The lessons of history are many and few are simple. Empty threats can be just as damaging to a country’s reputation. -
24 Nov 2021
India, China cop finger pointing in climate politics
It really depends on your perspective as to who deserves blame for a disappointing process in Glasgow. -
24 Nov 2021
Maldives: India first or India out?
Relations between one of the largest countries in the world and one of the smallest inevitably brings sensitivities. -
23 Nov 2021
The revenge of the Scholzomat
After a lifetime in the wings, Olaf Scholz’ moment has come. But the task ahead is daunting. -
23 Nov 2021
Regulating unmanned underwater vehicles in Indonesian waters
Deep sea drones are revolutionising marine science. But the military potential makes transparency essential. -
23 Nov 2021
Glasgow delivered, but what, exactly?
Not a miracle, certainly. But hard and messy negotiations secured a commitment to bring the temperature down. -
22 Nov 2021
Vietnam: “Let them eat steak”
A minister’s extravagant meal abroad left a sour taste at home. -
22 Nov 2021
Forecasting vaccination in the Pacific
In the race to protect populations, big parts of the region have fallen well behind. -
22 Nov 2021
Palau faces the dragon
Beijing can make or break nations by rubber stamping them as approved destinations for Chinese tourism and investment. -
19 Nov 2021
Time for South Korea to abandon the “middle power” moniker
In the end, it’s not a term that helps people to understand policy and policy choices. -
19 Nov 2021
Bougainville independence: recalling promises of international help
The pandemic has blown the referendum result off front pages – but that doesn’t make the challenge any easier. -
19 Nov 2021
The true challenge to Indonesia’s large informal economy
The President’s promise to empower women’s enterprises will mean little unless the scourge of corruption is also curbed. -
18 Nov 2021
Economic diplomacy: Remaking the Pacific house
Two new studies provide the building plans for Australia’s regional infrastructure boom. -
18 Nov 2021
Nord Stream 2: Will you go to the Gazprom with me?
The latest ructions over the Russian pipeline should lead Europe to hasten a turn away from gas to renewable energy. -
18 Nov 2021
Minorities under attack in Bangladesh
Recent violence sparked by false allegations online against Hindus is a symptom of deeper community problems.