28 Apr 2020
Is this the Kindleberger moment?
Covid-19 exposes a power vacuum where exceptionalism and tinfoil hat conspiracy theories go hand in hand.
-
-
23 Apr 2020
Statesman Turnbull steps up: Secret letters, taming Trump, due credit
Business with Donald, shared history with Xi and a Pacific ploy are revealing of the former PM’s foreign ambition. -
16 Apr 2020
In the US, a campaign with no trail
Trump is agitating like the virus is a made for TV drama, while the real job of responding falls to state governors. -
8 Apr 2020
Fighting corona will strain US military capacity in the Indo-Pacific
With outbreaks in the ranks and resources directed home, America’s commitments abroad will be challenged. -
7 Apr 2020
US regional leadership: A shot across the bow
China had already been gaining in Southeast Asia before the pandemic began. Now Beijing is looking to press ahead. -
2 Apr 2020
China-US geopolitics in the age of corona
Beijing seeks to capitalise and claim global leadership in fighting the virus, while Trump shows no interest at all. -
26 Mar 2020
An Australian in New York with a warning about the weeks ahead
The disconnect between public health and economic interests amid the virus outbreak shows a bias to underreact. -
20 Mar 2020
Joe Biden and the ghosts of elections past
Faced with a diverse field of candidates and now a major crisis, Democrats go with what they know. -
18 Mar 2020
Iran: Sanctions vs sympathy
The US policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran will look increasingly untenable as the coronavirus pandemic escalates. -
13 Mar 2020
Democrats on trade, and North Korea: “No hot dish for the dictator”
From free trade to one of Asia’s most intractable challenges, a Democratic president needs to navigate Trump’s legacy. -
12 Mar 2020
What a difference six weeks and a viral outbreak make for Donald Trump
A stock market in bear territory and Joe Biden all but confirmed threaten the President’s chances of a second term. -
12 Mar 2020
Covid-19 in China, the US, India: Comparative crisis management 101
The corona crisis is shining an unforgiving light on how very different political systems deal with unexpected crises. -
12 Mar 2020
The Democrats and China: “Our values are not a bargaining chip”
How and where the US projects force is one of many questions hanging over a potential Democratic presidency. -
11 Mar 2020
The Democrats and America’s place in the world: “A rescue mission”
The last men standing for the Democratic presidential nomination have a few things in common – and some big differences. -
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
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
18 Feb 2020
Pushing the Philippines‑US alliance over the cliff
Trump may have shrugged, yet Duterte’s move marks a serious blow to US power and the maritime order in Southeast Asia. -
12 Feb 2020
In Africa, the US plays catch-up with China
The Secretary of State’s upcoming African visit reveals a US strategy fixated on hobbling Chinese momentum. -
10 Feb 2020
Trump impeachment: The aftermath
It was clear Senate Republicans would ensure acquittal, but the process put Trump’s corruption on full display. -
7 Feb 2020
What Trump’s State of the Union tells us about his re-election bid
Meanwhile, the rest of the world adjusts to uncertainty in no small part fuelled by the incumbent US President. -
5 Feb 2020
Trump’s White House: State of chaos
“Our most thrilling stories are not yet told”, the president declared, but a new book is full of thrills – and spills. -
31 Jan 2020
A new ambassador in Washington
A diplomatic changing of the guard means Australia has a chance to have a different conversation. -
30 Jan 2020
Trump’s State of the Union: A preview
State of the Union speeches are traditionally dull affairs. This one could be the most bizarre in US history. -
29 Jan 2020
The real US–China competition: Competing theories of influence
Both can be coercive, but the US is in danger of surrendering what is arguably the more sustainable model of influence. -
28 Jan 2020
The US is elbowing Australia and allies in a race for the China market
Australia needs to be very wary of how Donald Trump’s “unbelievable deal” will play out. -
24 Jan 2020
Russia makes its presence known in Iran crisis
Through military and diplomatic manoeuvres, Russia has signalled its stance on further US intervention in the region. -
22 Jan 2020
The Kurds are again caught in the crossfire, now between US and Iran
Yet the Kurds may gamble to play the two adversaries off against each other to finally achieve an independent state. -
20 Jan 2020
Expect more hype, little progress on North Korea this year
Donald Trump and Moon Jae-in are eager for a deal, but the current stalemate is likely to continue. -
17 Jan 2020
In Democratic debate, big distinctions but little difference
In the final debate among US presidential candidates before primaries begin, foreign policy took a rare front seat. -
13 Jan 2020
Trump walks away clean from Soleimani fallout
Doubts over legality and intelligence (and impeachment) didn't keep the US president from claiming a big win. -
9 Jan 2020
Could Afghanistan be the stage for US-Iran conflict?
If Tehran pursues further retaliation for the US strike on a top commander, its neighbour to the east is an easy mark. -
8 Jan 2020
Ending Iran’s regional ransom
Tehran may further strike back over Soleimani, but it has freely carried out attacks across the region for a long time. -
8 Jan 2020
North Korea’s ambiguous New Year message
A deadline warning came and went, illustrating the constraints on Kim Jong-un even as he keeps all options on the table. -
7 Jan 2020
“Maximum pressure” demands diplomatic off-ramps
For the US, escalation and de-escalation with Iran and North Korea require greater international coordination. -
6 Jan 2020
Trump’s unpredictability confounds his allies, and now his enemies
The hit on Qasem Soleimani has fundamentally changed the rules of the game between the US and Iran. -
6 Jan 2020
Will Trump win big from killing Soleimani?
It’s not clear how Iran for all its bluster of revenge will be able to hit back at the US. -
30 Dec 2019
Best of The Interpreter 2019: The Trump Circus
With big promises and empty threats, US president Donald Trump carried on as usual, as did his detractors. What next? -
20 Dec 2019
Favourites of 2019: Hasan Minhaj’s incisive yet accessible comedy
A bitingly satirical, sometimes subversive, series that offers a deep dive into topical issues. -
19 Dec 2019
US-China trade deal, phase one done: Now what?
The detail in the present truce in the US-China trade war carries some bad news for Australia. -
18 Dec 2019
Chart of the week: Global trade through a US-China lens
Two thirds of the world trade more goods with China than with the US. -
18 Dec 2019
Favourites of 2019: Richard Holbrooke, “almost great”
He was the diplomat who in many ways embodied the US with his idealism and his egocentrism. -
16 Dec 2019
A good week in Washington
A flurry of developments left a dusting of truth inside the post-truth Beltway. -
11 Dec 2019
Australia’s stance on Diego Garcia dispute is increasingly untenable
A window is fast closing to resolve Mauritian claims to the Chagos archipelago and secure a crucial US base. -
11 Dec 2019
Favourites of 2019: When They See Us
A story of shocking lows and ultimately some redemption in the US legal system – inflamed by a younger Donald Trump. -
5 Dec 2019
Diego Garcia: The costs of defending an Indian Ocean outpost
Australian support for Britain’s contentious Chagos sovereignty claim risks delegitimising its South China Sea policy. -
2 Dec 2019
Moon Jae-in’s foreign policy reorientation
He has spoken so favourably of Kim Jong-un that Moon has been criticised for acting as North Korea’s foreign minister.