3 Sep 2021
Rich, hot and popular: the taming of Chinese celebrities
Is the Party-state taking all the fun out of life?
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3 Sep 2021
Australia’s essential need: not seaborne trade but seaborne supply
“Sea control” is not about dominating waters but only to the extent necessary to ensure the movement needed. -
2 Sep 2021
Australia’s potential as a “green” hydrogen superpower
As the hydrocarbon era wanes a new energy source could be a potent geopolitical asset. -
2 Sep 2021
Europe and the South China Sea
More warships in disputed waters may cause instability. But the presence of navies from afar sends a clear message, too. -
1 Sep 2021
Alliance management – a history in pictures
In a game of diplomatic spot-the-difference, a sense of continuity is evident at recent AUSMIN meetings. -
1 Sep 2021
Will ANZUS make it to 80?
A war in Asia would be a true test of the “unbreakable” bonds said to define the US-Australia relationship. -
1 Sep 2021
Transnational authoritarianism: return of the strongmen
Coercion, kidnapping and deadly violence are the stock in trade of increasingly emboldened transnational repressors. -
31 Aug 2021
Deliberate ambiguity of China’s new “territorial waters” declaration
A hastily introduced regulation requiring vessels to register may be contrary to the rights of innocent passage. -
31 Aug 2021
Lukashenko running on empty
Belligerent and unpredictable, Belarus’ president is still an ongoing source of angst for Moscow and its neighbours. -
30 Aug 2021
Thai lives matter, too
Alleged police brutality captured in a widely shared video puts a spotlight on abuses and demands for reform. -
30 Aug 2021
Debating the alliance
An ambitious attempt to open new avenues to assess the US-Australia alliance misjudges the chance of independent action. -
30 Aug 2021
Sharpening deterrence
The language around the who, what and how of Australia’s defence strategy needs an overhaul. -
27 Aug 2021
Will Jokowi pull off a three-peat?
The Indonesian president is intent on leaving a legacy – another term in office might help him get there. -
27 Aug 2021
Australia and LGBTQI rights
Canberra needs a loud and proud foreign policy on the human rights of gender and sexual minorities. -
27 Aug 2021
Australia’s seaborne trade: Essential but undefendable
Recognising the limits to Australia’s military potential. -
26 Aug 2021
Economic diplomacy: After Kabul, Australia looks to India
Australia has a lower war-to-aid ratio, but the US is more transparent about its failure against the Taliban. -
26 Aug 2021
Sri Lanka’s simmering twin crises
A pandemic downturn furthers slows an already pallid economy, while tensions with the West prompt a turn to Beijing. -
26 Aug 2021
What’s in a name? The Taliban and recognition under international law
Formal recognition as a legitimate government may be a bargaining chip to press the Taliban to respect human rights. -
25 Aug 2021
Afghanistan holds lessons for American power in Asia
The US will one day ask the same question about its presence in Asia that it did of Afghanistan: is it still worth it? -
25 Aug 2021
China puts its golden goose on notice
Beijing’s recent crackdown on tech and tutoring giants points to a grand scheme of state re-building. -
25 Aug 2021
The new citizen soldier
Recent events have seen a modern Australian military member emerging – vocal, humanitarian and politically active. -
24 Aug 2021
India fears a poison harvest from Afghanistan
The Taliban takeover forces a regional realignment and has left New Delhi wondering about its past investment. -
24 Aug 2021
Duterte’s back-down on US forces in Philippines
After several threats to scrap the agreement giving US troops a legal basis in the country, challenges are lingering. -
24 Aug 2021
Europe turns away from asylum-seekers
Covid saw fewer refugees on the move but numbers could soon rise. Those needing help deserve to be treated with dignity. -
23 Aug 2021
The world must evacuate women police in Afghanistan
The international community trained local women to put their lives on the line but has now abandoned them to danger. -
23 Aug 2021
Why politics and pandemics don’t mix
Michael Lewis’ stranger-than-fiction take on how America’s public health mechanisms failed in the face of Covid-19. -
20 Aug 2021
As Delta looms, PNG’s vaccine rollout challenges mount
Getting the jab where it is needed is only part of the problem. Making sure people understand the urgency is another. -
20 Aug 2021
Can the US and China cooperate on climate?
Deals, denials and grand bargains on the road to the COP26 climate change conference. -
19 Aug 2021
North Korea calling
The hotline between Pyongyang and Seoul is operational again despite irritation at joint US military ops in the region. -
19 Aug 2021
Decoding intelligence on Afghanistan
An official inquiry should answer much wider questions about the US mission than only those of the final few weeks. -
19 Aug 2021
China’s new silos: Nuclear arms control more urgent than ever
News of huge missile silo fields shows dumb luck is no basis for managing a risk of nuclear catastrophe. -
18 Aug 2021
Afghanistan’s collapse shifts strategic dynamics in South Asia
If the Taliban’s return is seen a plus for Pakistan, India appears to be the loser. -
18 Aug 2021
The double challenge for Suga
Japan’s Prime Minister cleared a massive Olympic hurdle. But will he trip up on the politics to follow? -
18 Aug 2021
China debate not just a matter of hawks and doves
Two new volumes explore Australia’s economic, cultural and security relationship with the emerging superpower. -
17 Aug 2021
What to do after the Taliban take-over
The foreign troops might be gone but Afghanistan is still our responsibility. -
17 Aug 2021
Australia should scale up its vaccine diplomacy
Is Australia undermining its own efforts to help other countries in the pandemic? -
17 Aug 2021
UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt – not just for the good times
Britain’s renewed enthusiasm in Southeast Asia means, among other tasks, negotiating the idiosyncrasies of ASEAN. -
16 Aug 2021
Kabul has fallen and so have we
Defeat in Afghanistan is not only a military one, but of the commitment professed by the “international community”. -
16 Aug 2021
Afghanistan: the right time to leave
There was no “low cost” solution for the United States other than endless conflict. -
16 Aug 2021
Germany’s federal election: choose any colour you like
The looming headache of Germany’s coalition arrangements will play out again this September. -
13 Aug 2021
Mango diplomacy is more than low-hanging fruit in South Asian politics
Bangladesh has used a national icon to signal a fresh appetite for improved ties with Pakistan – just as China looms. -
13 Aug 2021
Taiwan: The age-old question of who gets a vote
A proposal to lower the voting age to 18 leaves the electorate surprisingly apprehensive – even younger Taiwanese. -
12 Aug 2021
Economic diplomacy: Burning down the house
Climate change is the new frontier for economic thinking in international relations. -
12 Aug 2021
Syria: The consequences of intellectual failure and moral neglect
No Western government should abide policy goals that in practice are pursued via collective punishment of Syrian people. -
11 Aug 2021
How can Australia reset relations with China?
Two past PMs offer their perspective on a diplomatic breakdown and how to put the pieces back together. -
11 Aug 2021
Pandemic plight of international students will leave Australia poorer
Lonely days during an education abroad will deplete Australia’s soft power reserves. -
11 Aug 2021
Pacific needs partnership, not just leadership
Richard Marles on a multidimensional regional challenge, from aid and migration to climate change and strategic denial. -
10 Aug 2021
Afghanistan: Russia faces its own risks and uncertainty
Regional instability, refugee flows, extremism, and zero appetite for warfare temper Russia’s stance on Afghanistan. -
10 Aug 2021
The battle for Myanmar’s seat in the UN General Assembly
An empty chair in New York would be a potent reflection of the situation on the ground in post-coup Myanmar. -
9 Aug 2021
Australia and India: A time to refocus on trade talks
Tony Abbott’s visit to India shows conditions are ripe to advance a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.