Skip to main content
The Interpreter

Interpreter - Menu Links

  • Articles
  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • About

Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 22 Oct 2024
    • Timor-Leste
    • Technology

    A cable to connect Timor-Leste, but can it bridge the digital divide?

    Mericio Juvinal dos Reis “Akara” , Rheinhard Sirait
    Cheaper internet and higher speeds could be the beginning of a transformation but there are many local hurdles to overcome.
  • 24 Sep 2024
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • Timor-Leste
    • Australia

    Timor-Leste joins the Asia Power Index

    Jack Sato , Susannah Patton
    Despite its small size, the Southeast Asian nation should not be underestimated.
  • 24 Apr 2024
    • Indonesia
    • Timor-Leste

    What Prabowo’s election victory in Indonesia means for deeper reconciliation with Timor‑Leste

    Fidelis Magalhães
    Unresolved issues hinder a profound healing process and Indonesia’s President-elect could make a powerful gesture to advance the cause.
  • 18 Aug 2023
    • Japan
    • Timor-Leste
    • Australia
    • Energy
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Sustainability

    Stepping on the gas: Boosting Australia’s climate diplomacy in the region

    Andrea Fahey
    Opponents of carbon capture plans need to look past ideology and think about the development costs to friends and neighbours.
  • 25 Jul 2023
    • Aid & Development
    • Timor-Leste
    • Australia

    What is Australia’s role in supporting Timor-Leste?

    Melissa Conley Tyler , Grant Wyeth
    Health and education are where Canberra can help Dili the most. But language barriers require thinking outside the box.
  • 7 Jul 2023
    • Timor-Leste
    • Energy
    • Poverty

    Timor-Leste: Breaking free from temptation of easy money

    Guteriano Neves
    The Gusmão-led government has a raft of development challenges and cannot afford to rely solely on oil and gas.
  • 17 May 2023
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste update: Parliamentary elections and a roadmap to ASEAN membership

    Parker Novak
    The real political wrangling will follow the ballot. The President meantime is advancing a long held regional ambition.
  • 15 May 2023
    • Timor-Leste

    New party offers chance for disability inclusion in Timor-Leste

    Mario F Da Costa Pinheiro
    A promise to send a person with disability to parliament following the election can galvanise action.
  • 18 Apr 2023
    • Timor-Leste

    Rallies, flags and motorbikes: it’s election time in Timor-Leste

    Parker Novak
    Where do political dynamics stand as Southeast Asia’s youngest democracy kicks off parliamentary elections?
  • 23 Feb 2023
    • Timor-Leste

    Gusmão, Alkatiri and Greater Sunrise: Timor-Leste calls parliamentary election

    Parker Novak
    Australia’s northern neighbour approaches a political inflection point.
  • 21 Dec 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Timor-Leste
    • Australia
    • Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting
    • Bougainville
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Review

    Seeking independence: three books to read this summer

    Jessica Collins
    From Timorese history and Bougainville’s dreams to Australia’s regional stories, catch up on essential background.
  • 5 Oct 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Timor-Leste

    A free trade zone for Timor-Leste and Indonesia

    Fidelis Magalhães
    Regional stability, economic resilience and mutual prosperity – what’s not to like about a cross-border FTZ?
  • 3 Oct 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Timor-Leste
    • Australia

    Greater Sunrise: Can Timor-Leste play the “China card”?

    Teesta Prakash , Jack Sato
    Beijing is a minor player in development finance for Dili – but it’s a different story with state-owned enterprises.
  • 5 Sep 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Asean
    • Timor-Leste

    José Ramos-Horta's Australian visit: a checklist

    Parker Novak
    The Greater Sunrise LNG field will top his agenda, along with economic diversification and ASEAN membership.
  • 27 Jul 2022
    • Trade and Investment in the Asia Pacific
    • Timor-Leste
    • Asean
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Trade
    • Pacific Islands

    Economic diplomacy: The Pacific beats ASEAN for nervous investors

    Greg Earl
    Abe Shinzo’s passing and the Timor oil spy case dismissal reveal new thinking about what national security means.
  • 27 Jun 2022
    • China
    • Timor-Leste

    Unpacking the China/Timor-Leste bilateral agreements…

    Parker Novak
    …and the unfolding geopolitical rivalry around them.
  • 8 Jun 2022
    • Australia
    • China
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste, China and Australia, and the influence contest

    Andrea Fahey
    Fostering connections with a new generation of democratic leaders offers Australia an edge in its island neighbour.
  • 19 May 2022
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste: Building towards the next 20 years

    Parker Novak
    Two decades of independence has seen laudable achievements but stormy economic waters lie ahead.
  • 4 May 2022
    • Timor-Leste

    Three takeaways from Timor‑Leste’s presidential election

    Parker Novak
    And three questions about what’s next.
  • 27 Apr 2022
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste: The new president needs to tune in

    Joao da Cruz Cardoso
    In the battle for leadership, an integral part of good governance has been overlooked: listening to the people.
  • 18 Apr 2022
    • Timor-Leste

    The not-so-hidden contest behind Timor-Leste’s presidential election

    Parker Novak
    On the ballot it’s Guterres versus Horta, but also Gusmão versus Alkatiri continuing their post-independence feud.
  • 23 Mar 2022
    • Timor-Leste

    Key questions as Timor‑Leste’s presidential contest goes to a run-off

    Parker Novak
    The first round of voting showed resistance-era figures still dominate. But questions swirl over who wins the prize.
  • 17 Mar 2022
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste’s presidential election: Watching for generational change

    Joao da Cruz Cardoso
    The heroes of the independence movement still dominate the political scene, only the emotional ties are ageing.
  • 7 Mar 2022
    • Asean
    • Timor-Leste
    • Russia
    • Energy
    • Ukraine

    The Ukraine crisis and Timor-Leste

    Andrea Fahey
    The small country’s decision to stand against Russia underscored its democratic credentials in a region without many.
  • 24 Jan 2022
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste: comebacks and contests ahead of presidential elections

    Michael Leach
    Jose Ramos-Horta hopes to win back his old job – Xanana Gusmão, too – while Fretilin’s own leadership question looms.
  • 16 Nov 2021
    • Timor-Leste

    Planning for progress in Timor-Leste

    Joao da Cruz Cardoso
    Protecting a growing population in Dili from disasters requires a cross-community effort – not just government.
  • 19 May 2021
    • Timor-Leste
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Sustainability

    Lessons from the recent cyclone in Timor-Leste

    Fidelis Magalhães
    Without a vision for sustainable development and action on climate change, there can be no “building back better”.
  • 12 May 2021
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Timor-Leste
    • Indonesia
    • Human rights

    Andrew Peacock’s Timor legacy

    Peter Job
    Remembered as a principled defender of human rights, the late foreign minister took a different tack with Suharto.
  • 23 Apr 2021
    • Australian Foreign Aid
    • Timor-Leste
    • Climate change

    Timor-Leste’s floods and Covid lockdown aggravate political rifts

    Michael Leach
    Mounting crises raise questions about infrastructure spending, the uses of oil wealth and the need for elite consensus.
  • 13 Apr 2021
    • Australian Foreign Aid
    • Timor-Leste
    • Climate change

    Dili floods a costly consequence of poor urban planning

    Joao da Cruz Cardoso
    Reactive measures by the Timor-Leste government and aid from overseas won’t prevent the same disaster next time.
  • 2 Oct 2020
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste’s youth leave or get left behind

    Joao da Cruz Cardoso
    Young people make up most of the country’s unemployed, sending many overseas, while needed skills go unmet at home.
  • 18 Jun 2020
    • Global Issues
    • Public Opinion
    • Timor-Leste
    • Southeast Asia

    Will Timor-Leste be the region’s latest press freedom casualty?

    Jim Nolan
    An new law under the guise of “dignity” would only diminish democracy and transparency in the country.
  • 28 Apr 2020
    • Timor-Leste
    • Coronavirus

    A Covid-19 wake-up call to reshape Timor-Leste’s economy

    Joao da Cruz Cardoso
    A dual shock has demonstrated that dependence on oil revenue is unsustainable.
  • 3 Apr 2020
    • Timor-Leste
    • Coronavirus

    Timor-Leste: The consequences of Covid-19

    Guteriano Neves
    A coronavirus outbreak would not only overwhelm the health system, but would deepen the country’s poverty as well.
  • 31 Mar 2020
    • Timor-Leste
    • Coronavirus

    A political impasse in Timor-Leste as coronavirus looms

    Michael Leach
    A government of national unity might be desirable right now, but such a prospect seems remote.
  • 19 Mar 2020
    • Global Issues
    • United Nations
    • Australia
    • Timor-Leste
    • Coronavirus

    The future ain’t what it used to be

    Gordon Peake , Christian Downie
    If Covid-19 teaches us anything, obviously we need to plan, but let’s not pretend the future is actually predictable.
  • 20 Jan 2020
    • Timor-Leste

    In Timor-Leste, failed budget sparks a political crisis

    Michael Leach
    Instability looms as the largest party in the governing coalition abstains on the budget proposed by its own government.
  • 23 Sep 2019
    • Australia
    • Timor-Leste

    Remembering Timor – a soldier’s view

    Rodger Shanahan
    Personal connections matter and can have a lasting influence 20 years on.
  • 20 Sep 2019
    • Australian Defence Force
    • United Nations
    • Timor-Leste

    INTERFET and the defence of Australia

    Luke Gosling
    The 1999 mission shaped not only Timor-Leste’s recent history, but also Australia’s post–Cold War trajectory.
  • 17 Sep 2019
    • Timor-Leste

    In Timor-Leste, a big set of challenges

    Guteriano Neves
    Two decades after gaining independence, Timor-Leste needs a long-term strategy for sustainable economic development.
  • 5 Sep 2019
    • Timor-Leste

    How the people of Timor‑Leste feel about security

    Robin Perry
    A new nationwide survey reveals strong trust in local security actors but also the obstacles to maintaining peace.
  • 2 Sep 2019
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste’s future still shadowed by the past

    Sophie Raynor
    History and heroes hold the spotlight, 20 years after the country voted for its freedom.
  • 16 Aug 2019
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste, 20 years on

    Mica Barreto Soares
    What does development look like, two decades after starting over?
  • 25 Jan 2019
    • Timor-Leste

    Letter from Dili: languid days, broken barracks, and a surprise

    Gordon Peake
    Dili is marked by imprints of a once prominent international city with a presence now slipping from perceptible view.
  • 16 Jan 2019
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste’s forgotten Chinese

    Sophie Raynor
    The Chinese-Timorese community face discrimination and stereotypes in the country they’ve long called home.
  • 21 Nov 2018
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste: refining agreements in the Greater Sunrise

    Michael Sainsbury
    Timor-Leste’s sees a purchase of US energy group ConocoPhilips’s stake in Greater Sunrise as a “seat at the table”.
  • 7 Aug 2018
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor and Australia: a new chapter or a stalemate?

    Bec Strating
    After the maritime boundary treaty, tensions remain over development of the Greater Sunrise gas fields.
  • 30 Jul 2018
    • Australia
    • Timor-Leste

    Julie Bishop’s new Timor-Leste chapter

    Sophie Raynor
    Tension remains between Australia and its neighbour despite the minister’s optimistic words.
  • 12 Jun 2018
    • Australia
    • Timor-Leste

    A new path to dispute settlement

    Bec Strating , Clive Schofield
    The novel mechanism that solved the Timor Sea dispute may not have the same success in other complex and highly contested cases across the region.
  • 17 May 2018
    • Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste election: the generation gap

    Sophie Raynor
    A peaceful election and decisive result is a win for stability, but it has come at the cost of youth leadership.
Pagination
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • Current page 1
  • Page 2
  • Next page ››

Stay informed with the latest commentary and analysis on international events from experts at the Lowy Institute and around the world.

Register

The Interpreter features in-depth analysis & expert commentary on the latest international events, published daily by the Lowy Institute.

© Copyright 2024 Lowy Institute

  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • Articles
  • About
  • Terms of Use
  • Log In
  • My bookmarks