Articles | Lowy Institute

5 Jul 2019
Defence & Security

Europe

United States
The burden of friendship: Germany, Trump and NATO

Marcus Colla

Germany earns a special ire in the President’s complaints, but Berlin sees less challenge in dollars and more in trust.
5 Jul 2019
Defence & Security
First salvo: missile tests mark intensified US-China competition

Bates Gill

This exercise signals a step-change in Beijing’s response to the US and allied military presence in China’s near seas.
5 Jul 2019
Defence & Security

Cambodia
Cambodia: the regime’s base survival instinct on display

Lucy West , Sovinda Po

A decision to reject a US offer to refurbish Ream Naval Base might hint at China’s influence but also domestic concerns.
5 Jul 2019
Sustainability

Japan
Japan is again hunting whales. What can be done?

Donald R Rothwell

As G20 leaders gathered in Osaka, Japan let loose the whalers and the international response has so far been muted.
4 Jul 2019
United States

Iran
Iran’s dangerous gamble

Mahmoud Pargoo

Hardliners in Tehran might underestimate Washington’s reluctance to fight while overestimating their control at home.
4 Jul 2019
Asia

Global Economy
Economic diplomacy: Japan v Korea, and trade negotiation secrecy

Greg Earl

Japan’s sanctions on Korean electronics shows souring ties between notional partners in a dangerous part of the world.
4 Jul 2019
Technology
The “new era” of digital authoritarianism

Dirk van Graver

A growing online divide has curbed freedom of expression and opinion but it’s not time to surrender to a “splinternet”.
3 Jul 2019
Global Economy

Vietnam
Vietnam shapes as a key winner from the US-China trade war

Michael Sainsbury

Vietnam’s economy is booming as the country plays off old enemies as new friends in technology and manufacturing.
3 Jul 2019
Global Economy
The limits to global monetary policy

Stephen Grenville

Already in “easy” mode and without the flexibility to move interest rates lower, other policies are needed.
3 Jul 2019
Pacific Islands
Pacific links: power games, volcanic eruptions, and media blackouts

Alexandre Dayant

Links and stories from across the Pacific islands region.
3 Jul 2019
Global Economy

India
Lessons of globalisation: the vulnerable women of the Nokia factory

Vani Swarupa Murali

A technology giant transformed a small village in India promising jobs, yet at a cost to female workers that lingers.
2 Jul 2019
China's Economy

China
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, from the inside looking out

Denghua Zhang , Jianwen Yin

To understand the goals of China’s flagship program means also considering the perspective of state-owned enterprises.
2 Jul 2019
Asia

Rules Based Audio
Unpacking the Asia Power Index – Podcast out today

Kelsey Munro

The Lowy Institute’s Rules Based Audio podcast takes a deep dive into the 2019 Asia Power Index.
2 Jul 2019
Papua New Guinea
More women – with more chances – is key to PNG’s democratic future

Watna Mori

Enough talk. Ensuring equal participation in politics is a challenge the new Marape government must rise to meet.
2 Jul 2019
Defence & Security

Australia

Review
Book review: Hugh White’s How to Defend Australia

Sam Roggeveen

This quietly radical book calls on Australia to plan as if our US alliance will diminish to the point of vanishing.
1 Jul 2019
Global Economy

G20
Temper our optimism: the message from the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Osaka

Merriden Varrall

Overshadowed by US-China tensions, the shared sense of purpose that formed the G20 has almost entirely dissipated.
1 Jul 2019
United States

The Trump Presidency
The Republicans’ post-Iraq dilemma: the hollow threats

Robert E Kelly

Not only is Donald Trump the boy who cried wolf, the US public will not support diving into a quagmire war of choice.
1 Jul 2019
Indonesia
Jakarta’s air quality kills its residents – and it’s getting worse

Kate Walton

Choked up citizens have had enough and are taking the government to court over Jakarta’s chronic smog.
28 Jun 2019
Global Economy

China's Economy

China
China’s financial risk and lessons from the Baoshang Bank collapse

Stephen Joske

This incident has dented the Chinese government’s claim to be in control and the financial danger zone is approaching.
28 Jun 2019
Asean
The Indo-Pacific is the New Asia

Melissa Conley Tyler

The terms of the debate might be finally settled, but the contest will go on. And on.
28 Jun 2019
Defence & Security

Public Opinion

Australia
National security: Australians and their elites

Sam Roggeveen

A tour through this year’s Lowy Institute Poll to see where the public differs from political leaders.
28 Jun 2019
Malaysia
Why Mahathir is unlikely to make Anwar his successor

Qi Siang Ng

Few thought the then 92-year-old return PM would be anything but a charismatic seat-warmer – except the man himself.
27 Jun 2019
Public Opinion

Australia

Australian Public Opinion

China
Australian attitudes to China shift: 2019 Lowy Poll

Kelsey Munro

A deep dive into the 2019 Lowy poll reveals an across-the-board hardening of Australian attitudes towards China.
27 Jun 2019
Pacific Islands

Public Opinion

Australia
The Pacific: pinching pennies doesn’t make for policy longevity

Jonathan Pryke , Shane McLeod

Australians might be wary on aid but are far more alert to the region’s biggest security concern in climate change.
27 Jun 2019
The Americas

Australia
The Matildas and Socceroos vs. Marta and Messi

Alex Vedovi

Australia’s growing interest and standing in the world game is opening unexpected and lucrative ties with Latin America.
26 Jun 2019
China
Australian PM talks US China tensions ahead of the G20

Kelsey Munro

In his first big foreign policy speech since the election Scott Morrison stressed Australia's commitment to free trade.
26 Jun 2019
Aid links: labouring along the Belt and Road, carbon cash, more

Alexandre Dayant

Cuba’s revolutionary struggle, looking back at three decades development work, and stories from the aid sector.
26 Jun 2019
Public Opinion

Australia

Climate change
Are Australians more worried about climate change or climate policy?

Matt McDonald

Climate change is again on the public mind but this didn’t translate to a strong message at the ballot box for action.
26 Jun 2019
Public Opinion

Australia

Australian Public Opinion
The polls were wrong, but here’s our poll, and why you should read it

Alex Oliver , Natasha Kassam

Election pollsters must deal with tricky challenges but issues polls – such as the Lowy Institute Poll – are different.
25 Jun 2019
Southeast Asia
It’s not just melting glaciers that endanger the Mekong and its region

Milton Osborne

The wash of sediment downstream is crucial for the health of the river – and with it the economies it spans.
25 Jun 2019
Global Economy

G20
Osaka G20: finding the right beat for hard conversation

Mike Callaghan

Summits are too often harshly judged on what they deliver now rather than the agenda set for the future.
25 Jun 2019
Seychelles
Seychelles: life after the boss

Ashton Robinson

India and China are competing for influence in the Indian Ocean nation while the long shadow of a past ruler recedes.
24 Jun 2019
United States

Australia

Iran
Iran: Australia’s deliberate ambiguity

Daniel Flitton

Even without direct conflict, Washington’s tensions with Tehran pose an awkward alliance challenge for Canberra.
24 Jun 2019
Technology
The transformative potential of big data

Miah Hammond-Errey

But collecting ever more information might just end up posing ever more difficult questions.
21 Jun 2019
Pacific Islands

Papua New Guinea
Australia’s aid in PNG: the need for a gendered approach

Jonathan Pryke , Divya Venkataraman

Tackling endemic domestic violence and the lack of women in parliament should be renewed as a focus across the Pacific.
21 Jun 2019
Asia

Defence & Security

United States
Five factors will decide the survival of the US-led alliance system

Mason Richey

In the Asia-Pacific, we know the questions asked of the San Francisco System. We just don’t know the answers.
21 Jun 2019
Global Issues

Europe

Russia
Accountability for flight MH17: a long and winding road …

Priya Pillai

Trials in absentia are problematic, but as with the Lockerbie trial, the quest for justice will be arduous and complex.
20 Jun 2019
India

Indonesia
Jokowi and Modi’s budding bromance

Mustafa Izzuddin , C Raja Mohan

With both leaders re-elected and with shared goals, the challenge is to ensure Indonesia and India remain firm friends.
20 Jun 2019
Global Economy

Trade

G20
Economic diplomacy: G20 warms up, the China drip and open trade talks

Greg Earl

Could Japan’s Abe Shinzo – yes, Abe Shinzo – use his personal clout to give the flatlining G20 some new direction?
20 Jun 2019
United States
The challenge to legal abortion in the Trump era is global

David Smith

Alabama’s new anti-abortion law might be extreme but resurgent attacks on legal abortion are widespread.
19 Jun 2019
United States

Iran's Nuclear Program

Iran
The limits of unilateral action against Iran

Rodger Shanahan

Washington is finding maximum pressure campaigns have limitations and bringing along friends and allies could help.
19 Jun 2019
Pacific Islands
Pacific links: Paladin problems persist, climate warriors, more

Alexandre Dayant

Manus Island contract trouble, New Zealand’s cash splash for defence, and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
19 Jun 2019
Australia

Bangladesh
Australia should pursue opportunities in a booming Bangladesh

David Brewster

It’s wise to recall East Asia was unsettled and dangerous only a few decades ago, yet now drives Australia’s prosperity.
19 Jun 2019
Egypt
Morsi’s fate a reminder of power realities in Egypt

Bob Bowker

Mohamed Morsi was blind to the certainty that Egypt’s military will not tolerate challenges to its ultimate authority.
18 Jun 2019
North Korea

Review
Book review: The Great Successor

Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings

Tracing the life of Kim Jong-un delivers a captivating account of a chubby, cartoonish dictator that graces the screen.
18 Jun 2019
Global Economy

United States

China

Technology
Are we ready for a rare earths trade war?

Jeffrey Wilson

As China holds extraordinary power over material essential to high-tech products, Australia is key to diversification.
18 Jun 2019
Whats on at Lowy

Rules Based Audio
Episode 3 of Rules Based Audio, “The Propaganda Department”, out now

Kelsey Munro

The New York Times’ Beijing correspondent Chris Buckley is my guest on Rules Based Audio this week.
18 Jun 2019
India
The bad news for press freedom in India

Aarti Betigeri

Fears of arrest, or worse, have spilled over into widespread self-censorship despite a burgeoning media landscape.
17 Jun 2019
China

Hong Kong
The deeper malaise in Hong Kong’s civil service

Alvin Y.H. Cheung

<p>The political capture of once neutral institutions of government should be just as alarming.</p>
17 Jun 2019
China

Hong Kong
Hong Kong climbdown eases external pressures on China

Ben Bland

Beijing is fighting many fires at once, so taking the heat out of Hong Kong will suit Xi Jinping.