14 Nov 2024
Will the Intelligence Review bring DIO into the light?
Australia's Defence Intelligence Organisation is a national resource, and it should have a profile to match.
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16 Oct 2024
A CHOGM Rorschach Test
The value in the summit in Samoa next week really depends on how you see diplomacy unfolding. -
1 Aug 2024
Smuggling budgies? Australia’s fight against wildlife trafficking
Masters of soft diplomacy and flag-bearers for Aussie tourism, our native animals need all the protection they can get. -
12 Jul 2024
Testing the climate for AUKUS
The deterrence effects of nuclear-powered submarines are easily overstated, and the boats won’t fulfil Australia’s most pressing security needs in a changing environment. -
25 Jun 2024
America’s about–face on Assange allows Albanese to claim a win
Managing different interests between allies isn’t easy. -
24 Jun 2024
Gas and the difficult path to net zero
As a major supplier of global energy, Australia’s external challenges will be formidable. -
18 Jun 2024
Bonjour Bill? The endless speculation about political postings
Was former Labor leader Bill Shorten’s stint as Australia’s envoy to the Ukraine peace summit a dress rehearsal for a change in role? -
14 Jun 2024
Penny Wong defines Australia’s “national interests”
What happens when the Foreign Minister is asked to give meaning to a common political refrain? -
13 Jun 2024
From global to regional: Australia’s focus narrows
The real question about Australian foreign policy is whether it is too narrow, not too broad. -
5 Jun 2024
Free DFAT from “national interests” so that it can solve problems
Discussion of foreign policy always begins by identifying interests, but that’s less helpful than you might think -
17 May 2024
Was that a future Ambassador Morrison meeting a soon-to-be again President Trump?
With an election looming in the United States and one not that far away in Australia, it’s an easy scenario to imagine. -
13 May 2024
Made in Australia meets China’s export juggernaut
China’s irrepressible appetite for Australian resources will severely complicate the country’s manufacturing renaissance. -
11 Apr 2024
The Translator: “Like-minded countries”
A new series in which experts explain the sometimes baffling jargon of international affairs. -
4 Apr 2024
Economic diplomacy: Hanging on in ASEAN
Australia faces growing competition for influence among its old friends in Southeast Asia as China’s power rises. -
7 Mar 2024
Economic diplomacy: Australia Inc’s new tilt at ASEAN
The economic prospects have been clear for decades, but the government is now throwing serious money at Southeast Asia. -
23 Feb 2024
Economic diplomacy: Strategic funding comes in from the cold
A new review may cast a revealing light on how the government uses third-party institutions to shape the country’s strategic thinking. -
19 Jan 2024
The window (shade) seat
Watching the world go by from 40,000 feet is more than it’s cracked up to be. -
21 Dec 2023
A jurisdiction over the high seas
Australia will be a key player in the new agreement governing the globe’s largest natural habitat. -
20 Dec 2023
Albanese’s foreign policy speech: “Boring” sounds just right
Regular updates about Australia’s position in the world do the public a great service. -
11 Dec 2023
Don’t let China veto Australia’s ties with Taiwan
Canberra should not let increased trade and political engagement with Taipei be held hostage to Beijing’s sensitivities. -
7 Nov 2023
Learning the right lessons from Australia’s Covid response
The pandemic measures that took us from lucky country to locked-up country have their roots in 1980s neoliberalism. -
3 Nov 2023
Australian leadership in Indo‑Pacific nuclear diplomacy
With growing state capabilities in the region, “guardrails” are more important than ever. Canberra can help. -
30 Oct 2023
The future isn’t what it used to be
Will a revolution be the way the world’s young people right the wrongs of the modern era? -
18 Oct 2023
Australia must play the geoeconomics game, or risk being side-lined
The world is moving away from a rules-based order and towards power politics. Is Canberra ready? -
12 Oct 2023
Voting “Yes” in the heart of empire
If the ballot queue in London were any guide, the Voice would win hands down. -
10 Oct 2023
The Voice: Towards a fuller expression of nationhood
Long after the referendum, the result will echo in Australia’s national conscience. -
6 Oct 2023
Pump up the volume: Music diplomacy as soft power
From jazz ambassadors to Eurovision, it’s time Australia employed the persuasive power of pop and beyond. -
28 Sep 2023
AUKUS: A debate after the fact is still worth having
Can Australia’s statecraft and alliances offer alternative security options in the Indo-Pacific? -
5 Sep 2023
Danger Will Robinson: Warfighting robots fast approaching
A swarm of angry Australian-made cardboard attack drones sets the scene for all future conflicts. -
24 Aug 2023
“Australia’s future to 2063” and debating the world beyond the horizon
How much value does the nation gain from peering into a crystal ball? -
24 Aug 2023
Australia showcased gender equality on the pitch. Now let’s try it on budget policy
This government has the opportunity to get serious about gender responsive budgeting by upskilling its ministries. -
22 Aug 2023
Cambodia's democracy deficit: Australia's role and responsibility
Have we done enough to support human and democratic rights in a country where they are perpetually under attack? -
7 Aug 2023
Why the F word matters if we’re serious about gender equality in foreign policy
The problem with an implied rather than explicit feminist approach is that it is all too easy to ignore. -
26 Jul 2023
Why the Australian Voice referendum matters globally
Close friends will be watching for an outcome that lives up to the values for which the country professes to stand. -
25 Jul 2023
Beyond “the Brisbane Line”: Why Queensland is crucial to Australia’s national security
The state-federal divisions can’t stand in the way of a unified approach. -
24 Jul 2023
Opportunity lost with the Commonwealth Games
With alternative cities jumping at the chance to host the orphaned Games, has Victoria scored an own goal? -
19 Jul 2023
No playing games with Australia’s reputation
The Commonwealth Games – like its diplomatic counterpart – belongs to a different age. -
28 Jun 2023
Pragmatism rules the public outlook on Australia-China relations
The 2023 Lowy Institute Poll shows the tenor of debate can influence perceptions of opportunity and threat. -
23 Jun 2023
Perceptions and trust: Chinese views of Canada and Australia amid geopolitical tensions
New data reveals lingering resentments as well as ongoing opportunities. -
25 May 2023
Where has Australia’s foreign policy ambition gone?
Labor has adopted a status quo attitude to the world, lacking a vision for reshaping global affairs. -
3 May 2023
Remembering Allan Gyngell, “the finest mind in Australian foreign policy”
Analyst, diplomat, author. Few Australians could better judge Australia’s place in the world. -
24 Apr 2023
Defence Review: DFAT gets a boost
For the first time, a major Defence policy statement recommends more diplomatic funding. -
24 Apr 2023
Defence Strategic Review: Strong chords, with one jarring note
A promising strategy, but is there tension with AUKUS? -
12 Apr 2023
Australia’s delicate dance with the United States and China
Could Canberra’s deft management of its Beijing relationship influence policy in Washington? -
21 Mar 2023
James Goldrick, navies, oceans, trade, law, danger and history
A man of both humility and tremendous intellect was an immeasurable asset to Australia’s naval know-how. -
20 Mar 2023
Australia, China, AUKUS and the squandered advantage
Canberra appears to have overlooked the tyranny of distance as its chief asset in regional military deterrence. -
13 Mar 2023
Taking Australian statecraft from good to great
To remain effective in Asia, Canberra must do more with less, multiplying the effects of its bureaucratic tools. -
6 Feb 2023
The big picture: five lessons for five years of the Asia Power Index
Superpower rivalry matters – but don’t be blinded to the role of smaller players in a region of many contests. -
24 Jan 2023
Reality-checking the democracy agenda
Indonesia presents valuable lessons in Australia’s support for democracy in the Asia-Pacific. -
20 Jan 2023
An enduring formula for Australian foreign policy
Relationships, forums and neighbours are still a winning combination for Canberra on the global stage.