Articles | Lowy Institute

29 Jul 2019
Defence & Security

China

North Korea

Russia

South Korea
The trouble in the air on a tense Tuesday in Northeast Asia

Peter Layton

The ruckus after South Korea fired warning shots at a nosy Russian spy plane marks a significant rise in tensions.
29 Jul 2019
Taiwan
Can Taiwan’s President fend off a populist wave?

Nick Aspinwall

The next election is cast as a Clinton v Trump-like contest between a breezy populist and “adult in the room”.
26 Jul 2019
United States

The Trump Presidency
Bob Mueller exits the stage

Erin Hurley

Rather than a beginning of something more, the testimony of the former Special Counsel this week felt like an end.
26 Jul 2019
China

Antarctica
The importance of trust in preserving Antarctica’s future

Tony Press

China’s Antarctic law-making plans hinge on winning consensus – very different from proposals that win little support.
26 Jul 2019
Asia

Pacific Islands

France
The limits to French grandeur in the Indo-Pacific

Qi Siang Ng

Emmanuel Macron wants to restore France to be a great power but despite a regional footprint his dreams may be fleeting.
25 Jul 2019
China's Military

China
China’s head-spinning defence white paper

Dennis J. Blasko

The difference between how China sees the world and how the world sees China can lead to a seriously dizzying view.
25 Jul 2019
Global Issues

Africa
Congo’s Ebola outbreak: sounding a global alarm

Jesse Schnall

The world was too slow responding to the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak and cannot afford to make the same mistake.
25 Jul 2019
Global Issues
Does a US flag on the Moon amount to a claim of sovereignty under law?

Donald R Rothwell , Imogen Saunders

No, but international treaties that govern outer space loom as a potential flashpoint for growing US-China competition.
24 Jul 2019
United Kingdom
Boris wins his moment in the sun and may yet surprise us

Michael Fullilove

Unlike Trump, Johnson brings to the top job extensive government experience and a very different worldview.
24 Jul 2019
Asia

Japan
Japanese lessons for Australia’s relations with China

Richard Broinowski

Could the Australian response to Japanese trade practices in the late 1970s be a blueprint for dealing with China now?
24 Jul 2019
Singapore

Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s political trouble is Singapore’s gain

Jason Lim

History looks to be repeating, as earlier strife in Hong Kong helped the rise of another of Asia’s island cities.
23 Jul 2019
Technology
Cyber threats go beyond hackers and scams but to democracy itself

Sian Troath , Zac Rogers , Maryanne Kelton

As awareness of digital vulnerabilities grows, fostering resilience against exploitation across open societies is key.
23 Jul 2019
Asia

China

Southeast Asia
What the rest of Asia thinks about China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Greg Raymond , Alice Dawkins

A better sense of South-South cooperation helps understand the direction of China’s trillion-dollar flagship.
23 Jul 2019
United States

Trade

China
Trump and Xi need a trade deal and they need it soon

John Edwards

With the US election looming, the window for an agreement is closing – yet the two sides are closer than often assumed.
22 Jul 2019
Iran

United Kingdom
Tanker-for-tanker

Rodger Shanahan

Iran’s retaliation after an earlier tanker seizure should have been obvious, so why wasn’t Britain better prepared?
22 Jul 2019
China

Emerging Threats

United States
What Tom Cruise can teach us about great power competition

Dirk van Graver

Hollywood’s “Healthy Development” of an audience in China carries a cost should reel life mask the real thing.
22 Jul 2019
India
Between deprivation and decadence: the bleak view of India’s future

Aarti Betigeri

The rumblings of social trouble in India’s future – from water rights to jobs – are growing louder and more distinct.
19 Jul 2019
Terrorism
The changing face of violent extremism

Khalid Koser , Lilla Schumicky-Logan

New research suggests students themselves know the best strategies to prevent violent radicalisation in universities.
19 Jul 2019
Australia

Migration

New Zealand
Australia, New Zealand and the “corrosive” character test

Henry Sherrell

Hundreds of Kiwis have had Australian visas cancelled and a new law could see the trans-Tasman dispute yet grow worse.
19 Jul 2019
Malaysia
Mahathir holds all the cards, again

James Chin

A bitter rift over sex claims between would-be successors has again shown the ugly side of Malaysia’s politics.
18 Jul 2019
Asia

Indonesia

Thailand

Philippines

Malaysia

Southeast Asia
After the voting, personality beats policy in Southeast Asia

Greg Earl

Malaysia is not the only country consumed by speculation about who takes over from a conspicuous and captivating leader.
18 Jul 2019
Papua New Guinea
Karida village killings: violence and the vulnerability of women

Nicole George

This immensely sad and troubling episode has a context in the Pacific, and women of the region know it.
18 Jul 2019
Global Economy

Indonesia
How Indonesia finds itself in the middle of a US-China trade war

Retno Maruti

Jakarta is attempting to navigate tensions between Washington and Beijing by backing the multilateral system.
17 Jul 2019
Defence & Security

Australia
Australia’s alliance with the US is defined by more than one President

Hugo Seymour

The Lowy poll shows deep appreciation for the contribution ties to the US make to Australia’s prosperity and security.
17 Jul 2019
Japan
Abe’s constitutional dream hinges on upper house elections

Purnendra Jain

Any change to Japan’s constitutional “peace clause” needs securing a two-thirds majority in both houses of the Diet.
17 Jul 2019
Pacific Islands
Pacific links: China challenge, an “Elevation”, power lifting, more

Alexandre Dayant

Between a Step Up, Reset, Uplift and Elevation, plenty of diplomatic attention is focused on the region.
17 Jul 2019
Australia

Global Issues

Migration
Harnessing demographic destiny

Grant Wyeth

Competition for the world’s best and brightest will intensify as global population growth slows. Is Australia ready?
16 Jul 2019
Singapore
The guessing game for Singapore’s elections

Kirsten Han

The scramble for the ballot box where the boundaries are redrawn at every election and the PM controls the timing.
16 Jul 2019
China

Review
Xi Jinping: much more than just one man

Geoff Raby

Xi has sworn enemies and many hold grievances, but many more support him and the system of which he is a creature.
16 Jul 2019
China

Rules Based Audio
Richard McGregor on the backlash against Xi Jinping - podcast out now

Kelsey Munro

In Episode 5 of Rules Based Audio, Lowy Senior Fellow Richard McGregor talks about China’s leader Xi Jinping.
16 Jul 2019
India

Climate change
India’s latest crisis: 600 million people struggle with drought

Edmond Roy

Cities have been forced to truck in drinking water, farms are failing, and the situation grows more desperate.
15 Jul 2019
Pakistan
Pakistan on the brink of civil dictatorship

Adnan Aamir

Imran Khan is accused of persecuting political opponents and the media under the guise of an anti-corruption crackdown.
15 Jul 2019
Terrorism
‪ISIS: women’s work?

Lydia Khalil

The courts should regard crucial domestic, educational and other influences by women in ISIS as terrorist “support”.
15 Jul 2019
Global Issues

Technology
Remembering the Moonwalk

Morris Jones

It was the moment humans first stepped on another world, yet after the Apollo missions, why haven’t people been back?
12 Jul 2019
Diplomacy
The embattled envoy and the need for frank assessment

Daniel Flitton

Britain’s Kim Darroch was caught in a whirlwind because he did his job.
12 Jul 2019
Defence & Security

Nuclear Weapons

Australia
Professor White, the bomb can endanger but not defend Australia

Ramesh Thakur

Nuclear weapons have dubious operational utility and discarding treaty obligations would leave the stench of hypocrisy.
12 Jul 2019
Defence & Security
Paying a blood price: understanding the casualty cost of intensive war

Cate Carter , Charles Knight

Modern war is seen as a managed risk, but how would Australians cope in a conflict with thousands of soldiers killed?
11 Jul 2019
China

Antarctica
The heights of China’s ambition in Antarctica

Nengye Liu

Beijing’s aim to declare a special managed area at the ice sheet’s highest point is a test of Antarctic governance.
11 Jul 2019
Australia

Indonesia
Australia-Indonesia ties: escaping the beefs about boats or Bali

Ben Bland

Don't jinx it, but a few promising signs suggest bilateral ties could be entering a new period of relative stability.
11 Jul 2019
United States

North Korea

South Korea
The pitfalls of North Korea’s summitry spectacle

Khang Vu

It is easy to mistake process for progress in talking to North Korea.
10 Jul 2019
Diplomacy

Australia
Progress of women in diplomacy a point of pride for DFAT

Frances Adamson

More women than ever are in key diplomatic positions for Australia.
10 Jul 2019
Aid links: environmental ethics, a tech edge in managing cities, more

Alexandre Dayant

The UK pledges to combat a climate emergency, laggards in fighting HIV, and stories from the aid and development sector.
10 Jul 2019
China

Taiwan

Hong Kong
Hong Kong sets an example to push Taiwan even further from China

Randy Mulyanto

Taiwan’s close watch on Hong Kong has only firmed its opposition to Beijing’s “one country, two systems”.
10 Jul 2019
Asia

China

Southeast Asia
China’s Belt and Road Initiative: status report

Peter McCawley

Some projects will succeed. Others will fail. And in the end, China will likely find the political gain is quite mixed.
9 Jul 2019
Pacific Islands

United States
The US does more in the Pacific than it gives itself credit for

Michael Walsh

Technical definitions of what counts as “aid” fail to capture the full scope of American assistance in the region.
9 Jul 2019
Defence & Security

Diplomacy
Women yet to smash glass ceiling in Australian diplomacy and security

Alex Oliver , Danielle Cave

A new Lowy Institute study reveals a few trailblazers doesn’t necessarily reflect progress in fixing a gender imbalance.
9 Jul 2019
Global Issues

Sustainability

Russia
Chernobyl: the continuing political consequences of a nuclear accident

John Carlson

The meltdown contributed to the Soviet Union’s collapse but may have also cost a chance to employ low-carbon energy.
8 Jul 2019
Global Economy

IMF
The race to be next IMF chief

Mike Callaghan

The old “gentleman’s agreement” will likely hold, with a European to take the top job, settled by a backroom deal.
8 Jul 2019
Global Issues

G20

Sustainability
What a waste: the G20 and the plastic problem

Michael Heazle

More plastic waste is choking the world’s oceans yet despite global declarations and commitments, nothing much is done.
8 Jul 2019
United States
US states pushing for Roe v Wade test case in Supreme Court

Prudence Flowers

Over the last decade, a devastatingly effective assault against abortion access has been unfolding in the United States.