The Australian government will be cheered by continuity. Indian voters, meantime, have pushed back against the strongman.

The biggest challenge is convincing the public to turn up the temperature on a lukewarm relationship.

Climate change and population increases have made water scarcity a geopolitical issue.

The closer and growing defence ties between the countries doesn’t appear to have permeated the public mind yet.

Chinese influence and Pacific migration pathways are on Australian minds this year, according to latest Lowy Institute Poll.

Counting warships is only one measure of deterrence. An integrated force will be more lethal and that carries a cost.

Looking over two decades of polling numbers, a nuanced view emerges about the changing international context.

The bad dream is nowhere near ending.

Drawing on past experience and that of neighbouring countries, MPs and ministers should not be determining their own salaries.

New Lowy Institute research shows the pandemic and Ukraine war have taken a toll, while the benefits from supply chains shifting out of China have so far been limited.

Is it any wonder the public is often bemused about the merits of trade policy?

Just mind not to step in the smelly message.

Ties with Malaysia make a powerful case study to assess regional ties with the South Asian giant. But others are doing better.

Nationalism has a potent influence on historical memory – and this can skew in unexpected directions.

Environmental, economic and geopolitical concerns are all bound up in the latest tensions along the Mekong River.

It’s not clear how any national service scheme works if it isn’t compulsory, and compulsion is politically poisonous.

Recent steps forward on the trade front have also cleared the way for greater ambition in the partnership.

The Pacific leader is giving voice to the plight of the region and posing a direct challenge to Australia’s environmental diplomacy.

How the world works has changed, and so must we.

How one discipline can learn much from another.

A flying visit by the French president to the Pacific territory leaves a long road ahead.

While ISIS gets headlines, al-Qaeda’s quiet revival risks going unnoticed.

Downsides abound but there’s also a path where developing nations benefit.

India might not perfectly align with its partners in the minilateral group but its Indo-Pacific heft is much greater than that of the Philippines.

A fair-go means everyone pitching in to help those in need. Plenty of options exist, if we choose to use them.

The Indian state shows the best of itself when on a mission. That holds lessons – at home and abroad.

New research brings a valuable insight into the role of people not usually seen or heard in stories of war.

The Borneo state has won greater autonomy and holds all the cards for more concessions.

Seen as a potential heir apparent to Sergey Lavrov, Vassily Nebenzia is a mysterious but relentless envoy for the Kremlin.

Governments can address racism without shutting down discussions on the challenges of China’s rise.

As new Taiwan President William Lai takes office, Australia and partners should support democratic Taiwan in maintaining regional peace.

Damaging disinformation harms negotiations and seeks to obscure the fact that states make their own policy decisions.

Different views of sovereignty on the continent shouldn’t obscure the many shared goals.

The budget papers offer a chance to assess the government’s claims against fiscal reality.

Jakarta has welcomed some major world figures lately, hinting at its digital ambitions. But Indonesia faces stiff competition from the rest of ASEAN.

While continuity in foreign policy is likely, tension between state and society could be further exacerbated by competition within the conservative camp.

Biden is playing election politics with tariffs on China’s electric cars, while Albanese’s solar subsidy plans might end up costing Australia.

European colonial history is lamentable – but it is important to remember the enduring legacy.

There are hard rules to the forces driving the current account deficit, no matter how it is calculated.

The local population invariably pays the price for financial punishment of the regime. So better for the world to directly support communities instead.

Transparency could be the cost of the semi-commercialisation of Australia’s international development efforts.

Acknowledging the crimes in the 1940s would underline the attachment to Ukraine and rebuff changing borders by force.

With an election looming in the United States and one not that far away in Australia, it’s an easy scenario to imagine.

And that is China itself.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Keeping up with the worldwide shift to industry policy is stretching boundaries of both economics and diplomacy.

The threats to migratory species is urgent and can only be tackled together.

The weak needn’t suffer what they must.

Simultaneously advancing energy security in Asia and climate security in the Pacific is both possible and desirable.

A series in which experts explain the sometimes baffling jargon of international affairs.