25 Jan 2021
An anthem that is neither fair nor advancing equality
More than changing a word is needed if a song is to truly capture Australia.
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22 Jan 2021
Russia-US relations in 2021: Key things to watch out for
For all the talk of China, the Russia factor is still a huge challenge for the Biden administration. -
22 Jan 2021
Beijing’s “Wolf Warriors” score own goals
A confounding kimchi kerfuffle shows the CCP has made people at home hungry for news of China’s dominance. -
21 Jan 2021
The Diego Garcia dispute hits cyberspace
As internet domains go, .io is a money spinner. Would a change to the “British Indian Ocean Territory” cancel an asset? -
21 Jan 2021
A “No-First-Use” doctrine would undermine American nuclear deterrence
And Australia should make clear to the Biden administration any such commitment is not in the interests of allies. -
20 Jan 2021
Where in the world is Jack Ma?
Explaining the “disappearance” of China’s most charismatic businessman takes an appreciation of Xi Jinping Thought. -
20 Jan 2021
The Irrepressibles tame the Invincibles in their impregnable fortress
A transformative cricket series will do more to strengthen Australia–India bonds than any amount of public diplomacy. -
20 Jan 2021
Iran nuclear deal: Revenge of the diplomats
Re-negotiations with Tehran will be a fascinating guide to how a Biden administration deals with Middle East challenges. -
20 Jan 2021
Japan under Suga: The delicate balancing act
The PM must satisfy more hawkish views on China at home, as well as Washington’s expectations of greater burden-sharing. -
19 Jan 2021
Wrong place, wrong citizenship: The tribulations of the “Two Michaels”
China’s coercion in a broader geopolitical struggle continues to hold very personal consequences. -
19 Jan 2021
Why Twitter was right to dump Trump
A free speech attack? No, if losing access is a blow, it’s because Trump relied on social media too much for too long. -
19 Jan 2021
Australia’s Pacific Step-up and the Quad
The four nations should take the chance to draw together a group of common initiatives in the Pacific islands region. -
18 Jan 2021
When a pigeon’s supposed feat evokes a birdbrained response
A “biosecurity” threat to Australia’s strict quarantine system sends the nation all a flutter. -
18 Jan 2021
Resisting uncertainty, Malaysia is finding itself
Covid-19 has turbocharged Malaysia’s already fractious politics – and that’s flowing into the country’s economy. -
18 Jan 2021
Boys’ love brings edgy drama to China, and a backlash
As a genre, gay fiction has leapt from words to the screen with enormous popularity, but not beyond the censor’s reach. -
15 Jan 2021
Book review: The Ministry for the Future
Putting the fate of the world in the hands of boring bureaucrats might not seem compelling – might just also be right. -
15 Jan 2021
India launches its mammoth vaccine drive
Two Covid vaccines are rolling out across the country – and offers to neighbours might boost India's reputation. -
15 Jan 2021
The cleric shell game in Indonesia
Joko Widodo is sending mixed signals about whether he is truly combating religious radicalism. -
14 Jan 2021
America’s troubles ahead in the Asia-Pacific
A US return to multilateralism can’t reverse a shifting strategic landscape and the fallout of domestic strife. -
14 Jan 2021
A very British crisis
The ineptitude of the UK’s Covid response is on full display the moment you arrive in the country. -
13 Jan 2021
Indonesia lags on renewable energy, and pays the price
Global companies are looking for clean energy, but Indonesia is failing to keep up with neighbours in the region. -
13 Jan 2021
Why North Korea wants an arms control deal with the United States
Arms control might sound more appealing than tried-and-failed denuclearisation agreements – but it carries costs, too. -
12 Jan 2021
America’s fantasy hero
Donald Trump’s “reality” does not have to be real, it’s enough to persistently claim and act as though it is. -
12 Jan 2021
What does the arrival of Covid vaccines mean for 2021?
The jab appeared in record time, but ending the pandemic will come down to politics as much as science. -
11 Jan 2021
Securing the legal foundation for Australia’s intelligence agencies
The Richardson review reinforces principles of legality, propriety and accountability while keeping pace with change. -
30 Dec 2020
Climate change, a constant battle
Before a pandemic struck, Australia’s bushfires set alarms bells ringing. They haven’t stopped. -
29 Dec 2020
The China challenge: Highlights of The Interpreter in 2020
From Covid cover-ups to high altitude stand-offs, Beijing was never far from the centre of controversy. -
28 Dec 2020
Interpreting the 2020 US presidential election
In a year of horrible uncertainty, the political future of a superpower was a big question mark. -
24 Dec 2020
Covering the Covid shock on The Interpreter in 2020
A year of new language – social distancing, lockdown, “iso” – and a compounding challenge for nearly every global issue. -
23 Dec 2020
Your most-read articles on The Interpreter in 2020
It was about March we tried to ban the word “unprecedented” from articles. But a relentless year wasn’t letting go. -
23 Dec 2020
She won’t be right with “Australian-style” Brexit
If a no-deal option with the EU is so enviable, why is Australia cutting a deal right now? -
22 Dec 2020
Favourites of 2020: Women make excellent spies
Chauvinist assumptions are a big part of the reason the West lost its nuclear edge. -
22 Dec 2020
The strange connections of isolation
Reflecting on a year when a virus closed borders and drove us all together. -
22 Dec 2020
The modern sharing of Pacific “public goods”
A repository for regional data not only preserves the lessons of the past, but will shape a better future, too. -
21 Dec 2020
How extremist messaging co-opts emergency events
The cynical saying “never waste a good crisis” is just as true for far-right and conspiracy theorists alike. -
21 Dec 2020
A missile spotter’s guide to North Korea (and beyond)
Everything happens for a reason. And that reason is normally physics or finance. -
18 Dec 2020
Can Modi calm the farm?
A “crash or crash through” approach has served India’s PM well, but India’s farmers are proving a bigger obstacle. -
18 Dec 2020
Favourites of 2020: Love on the Spectrum
The world is full of characters. A reality TV series offers a playful chance to get to know more of them. -
18 Dec 2020
Washington’s warped Asia policy debate
Whoever Joe Biden puts into key positions, best they make quick studies on regional dynamics. -
18 Dec 2020
Learning from an island in a pandemic
For all the focus on New Zealand’s and Taiwan’s successes, another fascinating island nation has kept the virus at bay. -
17 Dec 2020
Favourites of 2020: Evil Geniuses
Creating an American dystopia took planners, architects and salesmen. How did they get away with it? -
17 Dec 2020
A missed opportunity for the International Criminal Court
In declining to investigate possible UK war crimes in Iraq, the ICC has dealt a blow to victims and its own reputation. -
17 Dec 2020
When China lashed out
Lessons of the past are too readily overlooked. But Australia has walked a tightrope between clashing giants before. -
16 Dec 2020
Frenemies forever? PNG’s prime minister sees off a challenge
It’ll be a merrier Christmas for James Marape, but a politically fractious new year looms. -
16 Dec 2020
Favourites of 2020: The moral ambiguity of spying
A Black female protagonist elevates the genre to show how intelligence professionals live with their choices. -
16 Dec 2020
Avoiding a “lost decade” in the Pacific
Remoteness has helped the Pacific mitigate the worst health risks in the pandemic – but not the severe economic costs. -
16 Dec 2020
Russia and China team up on the Indian Ocean
The US and its allies may have military dominance in the region, but it’s no guarantee of influence. -
15 Dec 2020
Favourites of 2020: Homeland Elegies
A novel clears up what has been obscured by the reflexive belief in America’s founding myths. -
15 Dec 2020
The wrong side won: Remembering John le Carré
The famed author roamed the grey of the international order and captured a world of “half-angels fighting half-devils”. -
15 Dec 2020
Bringing space law into the 21st century
The international agreements around outer space, which date to the Cold War, are being tested by new space activity.