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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 19 May 2022
    • Asia
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia

    Getting the most from Australia’s regional engagements

    Hayley Channer
    As in-person meetings restart after Covid, it’s time to assess what resources support the many strategic groupings.
  • 17 May 2022
    • Asia
    • United States
    • Australia
    • India
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • Energy
    • Ukraine

    No Gas: Lessons from Poland and Bulgaria for the Quad

    Angus Houston , Marc Grossman
    The risk of disrupted energy supplies is not only in Europe but a danger in the Indo-Pacific, too.
  • 17 May 2022
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • China
    • India
    • Japan

    AUKUS: More than meets the eye

    Jada Fraser
    A series of small, overlapping initiatives are combining to bolster the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific.
  • 5 Apr 2022
    • Asia

    Why liberalism has few friends in Asia

    John Keane
    The damage inflicted on the region by European imperialism was not forgotten – a backlash that continues to the present.
  • 1 Apr 2022
    • Asia
    • New Voices

    Youth politics in East and Southeast Asia

    Adhiraaj Anand
    Traditional parties are up against an unstoppable force of young activists set to shape democracy in the region.
  • 16 Feb 2022
    • Asia
    • United States
    • Asean

    Joe Biden’s new Indo-Pacific Strategy: A view from Southeast Asia

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    Rather than trying to push ASEAN to confront China, the White House has made an important gesture for unity.
  • 10 Feb 2022
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Australia's Economy
    • Australia

    Economic diplomacy: Mission critical as Australia’s own BRI gains pace

    Greg Earl
    Australia’s new embrace of South Korea in minerals, defence, and trade is well-timed as the country catches up to Japan.
  • 6 Dec 2021
    • Asia
    • Coronavirus

    Covid in Asia: the immediate payoff of donating vaccines

    Alyssa Leng
    The latest Lowy Institute Asia Power Index affirms that goodwill goes to the generous.
  • 1 Dec 2021
    • Asia
    • United States
    • Australia

    Kurt Campbell on what America is for, “rather than what we’re against”

    Sasha Fegan
    The White House “Asia tsar” spoke with Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Fullilove on the shape of the region.
  • 12 Nov 2021
    • Asia
    • United States

    Jake Sullivan on the challenges “no one country can solve” 

    Daniel Flitton
    The White House National Security Adviser stressed the chance for cooperation even in a challenging global era.
  • 16 Sep 2021
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australian Navy
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    How nuclear subs could transform Australia, its alliance and Asia

    Sam Roggeveen
    First thoughts on the consequences of a truly momentous decision.
  • 25 Aug 2021
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Afghanistan War
    • Afghanistan
    • China

    Afghanistan holds lessons for American power in Asia

    Sam Roggeveen
    The US will one day ask the same question about its presence in Asia that it did of Afghanistan: is it still worth it?
  • 17 Jun 2021
    • Asia
    • Trade
    • Australia
    • Migration
    • United Kingdom

    Economic diplomacy: Trade deals for a fast-growing family

    Greg Earl
    New ties with Britain to “right a historic wrong” but visa schemes for regional workers could generate another headache.
  • 22 Apr 2021
    • Asia
    • United States
    • Trade
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Japan
    • Technology

    Economic diplomacy: Supply chains, ASEAN wanes, and Japan’s coal dump

    Greg Earl
    Will government have to pick a winner for 6G networks to show the US and Japan as “global leaders in innovation”?
  • 22 Apr 2021
    • Asia
    • Japan
    • International law

    Toxic reaction to Japan’s Fukushima water dump

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    Experts insist the release of treated radioactive water is not dangerous. Legal challenges might find otherwise.
  • 11 Mar 2021
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Myanmar
    • China

    Economic diplomacy: The business of coups and China’s Quad response

    Greg Earl
    Companies are finding themselves torn between conscience and keeping the lights on when it comes to Myanmar.
  • 25 Feb 2021
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • Australia

    Why Aussie exporters won’t be toasting China or the US

    Greg Earl
    Wine exporters suffer a sour drop. Could a clever sales pitch deliver a new special vintage?
  • 11 Feb 2021
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • IMF
    • Australia

    Covid’s long reach upsets the economic pecking order

    Greg Earl
    China’s economy could overtake the US faster than expected but there are also implications for Australia closer to home.
  • 8 Feb 2021
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • The Asia Pacific's Economies

    What APEC has to offer in 2021

    Dick Grant
    No panacea, certainly, but a newly engaged United States might see APEC as just the right forum to work with the region.
  • 3 Feb 2021
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Trade
    • Coronavirus
    • Human rights
    • United Nations

    A “beggar-thy-neighbour” approach keeps seafarers stranded

    Sandra Tsui
    Some countries have banned crew rotations. Some have tight limits. A few are open. So a crisis continues.
  • 18 Dec 2020
    • Asia
    • United States
    • Asia and Pacific
    • Asean
    • China
    • The 2020 US Presidential Election

    Washington’s warped Asia policy debate

    Dhruva Jaishankar
    Whoever Joe Biden puts into key positions, best they make quick studies on regional dynamics.
  • 3 Dec 2020
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Australia's Economy
    • IMF
    • WTO
    • Australia
    • China

    As a national champion departs the scene, a China food fight looms

    Greg Earl
    Picking winners? In this case, one sort of export interest seems to have suffered due to support for another.
  • 20 Nov 2020
    • Asia
    • United States
    • The 2020 US Presidential Election

    Back to the future: Will Biden’s Asia policy come full circle?

    Zack Cooper
    Hopes might be high for a new US administration. But polls show views on regional challenges have changed markedly, too.
  • 19 Nov 2020
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • South China Sea
    • WTO
    • Australia

    Economic diplomacy: Navigating Asia’s trade tangle and a NSW “step-up”

    Greg Earl
    Plus, revisiting assumptions that China would be reluctant to interfere with South China Sea trade routes.
  • 19 Oct 2020
    • Asia

    Power in Asia in five charts

    Alyssa Leng
    With so much focus on US-China competition, it’s crucial to remember there are 24 other players in the regional game.
  • 6 Oct 2020
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • Australia

    Stepping past the fatalism trap

    Catriona Corby
    If Australia wants to shape rather than be shaped by a fast-changing world, creative diplomacy is essential.
  • 24 Sep 2020
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Australia's Economy

    Economic diplomacy: A snapshot of overseas investment trends

    Greg Earl
    New data sheds light on how Australian businesses have (and haven’t) shifted their foreign engagements.
  • 10 Sep 2020
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Australia's Trade
    • India's Economy
    • Indonesia's Economy
    • Australia's Economy
    • Coronavirus

    Economic diplomacy: Borders, barriers and obstacles

    Greg Earl
    Reshoring incentives gather steam, India’s RCEP regrets sink in, and Indonesia’s stimulus spending gets stuck.
  • 31 Aug 2020
    • Asia
    • Diplomacy

    The limits of Zoom diplomacy in Asia

    Ben Bland
    A whirlwind of online diplomatic speed-dating doesn’t allow the impromptu conversations where real business is done.
  • 27 Aug 2020
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • China

    Indo-Pacific strategy: Before justifying the means, identify the ends

    Jason Israel
    Facing uncertainty of where “strategic competition” is headed, first look for the ideal outcome. 
  • 10 Jul 2020
    • Asia
    • United States
    • Australia
    • China
    • Russia

    Keeping the Kremlin in the Kelvinator

    Matthew Sussex
    A flurry of enthusiasm to re-engage Russia speaks more to Western insecurities than future power dynamics in East Asia.
  • 30 Jun 2020
    • Asia
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations

    International law takes a step towards Asia

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    With Singapore a venue for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, will more Asian countries use it?
  • 26 Jun 2020
    • Asia
    • Coronavirus

    COVIDcast: Hugh White on Coronavirus and Asia’s power balance

    Hugh White , Sam Roggeveen
    The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region and the world.
  • 19 Jun 2020
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • China

    Canberra vs Beijing: A response to Sam Roggeveen

    Alan Dupont
    Contrarian views are needed to assess the China risk. And we shouldn’t assume this century will be indisputably China’s.
  • 15 Jun 2020
    • Asia
    • United States
    • US Elections

    Disruption or demands? US post-election foreign policy in Asia

    Malcolm Cook
    While the re-election of an incumbent may prove strangely turbulent, a new president could bring different burdens.
  • 20 May 2020
    • Asia
    • Bangladesh
    • Coronavirus

    Covid-19: The need to aid Asia to open up

    Peter McCawley , Haider A. Khan
    For Western donors, this has not been their finest hour, yet collective action offers a chance to revive past success.
  • 11 May 2020
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • China
    • Coronavirus

    Weight on the scales

    Ali Wyne
    Middle powers might seek to balance the US and China, but inevitably their own actions change the equation.
  • 23 Apr 2020
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Energy

    Negative oil prices: Why Asian nations may struggle to take advantage

    Rachel Ziemba
    Demand has collapsed, storages are filling – yet Asia’s energy markets might not offer producers a financial lifeline.
  • 13 Apr 2020
    • Asia
    • Review

    Book review: The Indo-Pacific contest

    John West
    A meditation on the region – the arena of Australia’s greatest strategic focus – puts China’s rise in historic context.
  • 8 Apr 2020
    • Asia
    • Coronavirus

    Asia after the pandemic

    Nick Bisley
    The stabilising force of shared economic interests could be lost after the crisis, leaving the region more dangerous.
  • 8 Apr 2020
    • Asia
    • Middle East
    • United Nations
    • Africa
    • Coronavirus

    Coronavirus in conflict: The fight has hardly begun

    Eleanor Gordon , Florence Carrot
    Covid-19 has brought wealthy nations to their knees. What will happen when the virus breaks out in a war zone?
  • 8 Apr 2020
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Coronavirus

    Fighting corona will strain US military capacity in the Indo-Pacific

    Ashley Townshend , Jim Golby
    With outbreaks in the ranks and resources directed home, America’s commitments abroad will be challenged.
  • 3 Apr 2020
    • Asia
    • Technology

    The danger meme: Countering visual disinformation in Asia’s politics

    Jennifer Yang Hui
    The Covid-19 “infodemic” has made plain the risks from ill-intended videos and photos. This is true for elections, too.
  • 27 Mar 2020
    • Asia
    • Coronavirus

    Coronavirus and the threat to South Asian democracy

    Mubashar Hasan
    With the lockdowns imposed to limit the spread of Covid‑19, the authoritarian grip on South Asia will likely strengthen.
  • 27 Mar 2020
    • Asia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    No planes or cruise ships – a crucial regional industry will need aid

    Amanda Robbins , Rachel Mason Nunn
    Tourism is a massive employer in countries where Australia gives aid and will need a lot of extra help after the virus.
  • 27 Feb 2020
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Pacific Islands

    Economic diplomacy: Mahathir’s APEC gamble, and aid corruption

    Greg Earl
    When is a loan not a loan, and should Australia really be propping up neighbours with a cash injection?
  • 20 Feb 2020
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • China

    Power and legitimacy go hand in hand

    Michael J. Mazarr
    Whatever America’s flaws and crimes – and there are many – it is a free and open democracy. China is not.
  • 5 Feb 2020
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security

    US-China competition in Asia: Who risks wins

    Sam Roggeveen
    Victory in great power games have rested on military might far more than the attractiveness of a leadership model.
  • 30 Jan 2020
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Diplomacy

    Economic diplomacy: APEC’s future, digital trade deals, and green debt

    Greg Earl
    Malaysian PM Mahathir controls the credibility of APEC, and China controls how emerging economies cut carbon emissions.
  • 19 Dec 2019
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Australia
    • China
    • India

    Economic diplomacy: Indian trade, taming BRI, and diaspora business

    Greg Earl
    Ahead of the PM’s visit to India next month, the economic strategies of Australia and India haven’t quite yet aligned.
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