11 Mar 2020
Aid links: What happens when Covid-19 hits the poorest nations, more
Links and stories from the aid and development sector.
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11 Mar 2020
Book review: Contest for the Indo-Pacific
How a “mental map” became a physical space facing “the risks of multiple plausible futures”. -
10 Mar 2020
On the Mekong, Khon Pi rapids saved – for now
The drive to dam the river continues to outpace real understanding of the dams’ impact. -
10 Mar 2020
Coping with Covid-19 as the Tokyo Olympics loom
Postponement looks likely – but a complete cancellation could be disastrous for Japan, Abe Shinzo included. -
10 Mar 2020
Books I’ve been meaning to read: Covid-19 and preparing for quarantine
Toilet paper is piled high in the laundry cupboard. Now to make a dent on the stockpile of books. -
9 Mar 2020
The curious case of the US Sri Lanka sanctions
An American administration with little apparent regard for human rights put sanctions on an alleged war criminal. Why? -
9 Mar 2020
Australia’s intelligence community needs another independent review
None of the assessments done to date have looked at why women remain under-represented in senior roles. -
9 Mar 2020
Who will be the 21st century’s rule maker?
Asia needs a new order for the post-American era, and it cannot be a liberal one. -
9 Mar 2020
Playing to strengths: The best use of Australian aid in the Pacific
Big spending on infrastructure catches headlines but replicates the work of others and may not be what the region needs. -
6 Mar 2020
Australia needs a feminist foreign policy
The 2017 White Paper references national security almost three times as often as foreign policy. Something wrong here? -
6 Mar 2020
Elizabeth Warren is far from finished
The candidate with “a plan for everything” might have missed the mark, but her ideas landed on target. -
6 Mar 2020
Saudi Arabia is not offside on gender equality
Years of legislative and cultural change will come to a head at the G20 to show how far the Kingdom has come for women. -
6 Mar 2020
Counterterrorism: A woman’s game
Two books, neither cheerleading, show the valuable, evolving, and contradictory roles women play in national security. -
6 Mar 2020
Philippines: When democracies hit midlife crisis
The Philippines’ democracy turned 34 last week. Will it continue to flirt with authoritarian fantasies? -
5 Mar 2020
Malaysia is now in uncharted waters
With an Islamist party now in government agitating for social curbs, the way of life in a secular nation is at stake. -
5 Mar 2020
Side effects: Covid-19 allows India a chance to lend Myanmar a hand
India is increasing competing with China in its neighbourhood, so helping out in a crisis is a good way to make friends. -
5 Mar 2020
Towards equal peace: Australian regional investment in gender equality
Women’s participation in peace processes and inclusion of gender-equality provisions is key to their long-term success. -
5 Mar 2020
Europe under threat
Yes, by coronavirus, but also by fighting in Syria and Libya. Can the EU react adequately? What will Brexit Britain do? -
4 Mar 2020
Does Australian travel policy to Covid-19 countries make sense?
Official advice on travel to and from countries most affected by Covid-19 varies significantly – and it should. -
4 Mar 2020
Stirring hatreds ahead of Myanmar elections
Hate speech and extremist ideology are on the rise as parties vie for votes, and more violence could be the consequence. -
4 Mar 2020
Pacific links: Covid-19 precautions take hold, Ardern in Fiji, more
Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
4 Mar 2020
Modern slavery reports, year one: What can we expect?
New legislation requires companies to assess labour conditions in their supply chains. It’s a good idea, but not enough. -
3 Mar 2020
Syria: What the UN can do, and must do
With the Security Council once more hostage to the veto, the General Assembly should test the world’s resolve. -
3 Mar 2020
Australia should speak out on India’s democratic crisis
The drive for good relations with New Delhi cannot be allowed to blind Canberra to the importance of protecting rights. -
3 Mar 2020
Syria: The battlefield rules
Every action prompts a reaction, as a success for Assad forces an angry response from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey. -
2 Mar 2020
Covid-19: Nearing a global pandemic?
As cases appear in more and more countries, officials struggle to prevent infections – and to manage public fears. -
2 Mar 2020
India’s reckless rush to ruin
Recent violence is a direct consequence of the ruling BJP government’s divisive policies, but unity is not yet all lost. -
2 Mar 2020
Projecting strength and staying power heading into Super Tuesday
Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden have both won short-lived momentum in the race to be a candidate and take on Donald Trump. -
2 Mar 2020
Youth-led diplomacy: Big opportunity for big impact
Tapping into the energy and insights of young people can help ensure the future success of Australia’s foreign policy. -
28 Feb 2020
Is media literacy the magic bullet for fake news?
The continued threat of misinformation online demands real solutions. -
28 Feb 2020
In Afghanistan, peace or fragmentation?
A potential US-Taliban deal and a shaky presidential re-election stir both hope for the future and fears of the past. -
28 Feb 2020
Car manufacturing and Australia: Nothing ventured, nothing gained
What might have been, had Australia had a crack at becoming a strategic hub for niche “world cars”. -
27 Feb 2020
Economic diplomacy: Mahathir’s APEC gamble, and aid corruption
When is a loan not a loan, and should Australia really be propping up neighbours with a cash injection? -
27 Feb 2020
Bougainville: Ringing in the change?
John Momis towered as a figure in both PNG on Bougainville, but his time as president seems to be fast running out. -
27 Feb 2020
South Korea’s struggle with coronavirus
A better health system and open press put the country in a stronger position – but will personal freedoms be curtailed? -
27 Feb 2020
Lebanon contemplates defaulting on its debt – and a greater cost
An economic crisis leaves the world with a big headache: A bailout, or risking another failed state in the Middle East? -
26 Feb 2020
Singapore: Hedging with hope
The gift of geography has made Singapore wealthy, yet also puts the city-state at a choke point in regional competition. -
26 Feb 2020
Aid links: cutting shipping emissions, Swat Valley transformed, more
Links and stories from the aid and development sector. -
26 Feb 2020
Australia has an IEA problem, not a fuel security problem
Perhaps it is time for Australia look to the Asia-Pacific for a more appropriate energy cooperation agreement. -
26 Feb 2020
Maluku: Obscure and notorious
A remote corner of Indonesia has a distinctive place in history going back centuries. -
25 Feb 2020
“Coordinated inauthentic behaviour”: Facebook haunts US democracy
Facebook has gone through the motions of fighting disinformation, but not enough to matter – or to risk its profits. -
25 Feb 2020
Be vigilant to reawakened racism in the face of a viral outbreak
Tackling a deadly disease is a challenge enough without old prejudices standing in the way of cooperation. -
24 Feb 2020
Japan: Article 9 conundrum rears its head again
The next 18 months offer Abe Shinzo his last chance as Prime Minister to amend Japan’s 1946 “Peace Constitution”. -
24 Feb 2020
A US-Taliban deal: What price for peace?
Bitter experience shows that a “rotten compromise” will carry within it the seeds of future war. -
24 Feb 2020
China’s counteroffensive in the war of ideas
Mirroring its “anti-access, area denial” military strategy, China has Western discourse power in its scopes. -
21 Feb 2020
Australia, in search of great and powerful friends
For a people who like to think of themselves as a hardy lot, Australians’ perseverance in diplomacy will be tested yet. -
21 Feb 2020
Australia and Israel should be partners in Asia
In a changing strategic landscape, likeminded countries have the chance to identify and grasp new opportunities. -
21 Feb 2020
Why the COVID-19 outbreak may help China move a little further forward
The rest of the world has a chance to help China learn from its mistakes and emerge stronger from this crisis. -
21 Feb 2020
China-Japan-US triangle: Abe’s balancing act
China’s rise, alliance management, and hedging against US abandonment is testing Japan’s policy choices. -
20 Feb 2020
Power and legitimacy go hand in hand
Whatever America’s flaws and crimes – and there are many – it is a free and open democracy. China is not.