Skip to main content
The Interpreter

Interpreter - Menu Links

  • Articles
  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • About

Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 16 Oct 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: dividends of a diplomatic switch, O’Neill warrant, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Taiwan looks to shore up support in the region, plus other stories from across the Pacific Islands.
  • 15 Oct 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia and Climate Change
    • Australia and the Pacific

    “Accepting the science”, rejecting the action

    Nic Maclellan
    If the Morrison government is on board with reducing emissions, as it seems to claim, it needs to step up its policies.
  • 11 Oct 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Sustainability
    • Japan

    The underappreciated value of Japanese aid in the Pacific

    Alexandre Dayant , Michael Nguyen
    Japan has made a significant contribution to regional development, especially in managing lucrative fish stocks.
  • 4 Oct 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Can the Pacific Islands be insured?

    Vijaya Ramachandran , Junaid Sadiq Masood
    High exposure to natural hazards puts Pacific Island countries at heavy risk. Insurance could help them cope.
  • 2 Oct 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: the big switch, sun-warmed mobile phones, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    The diplomatic recognition issue between China and Taiwan rolls on, plus other stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 27 Sep 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • France

    Jacques Chirac and the Pacific

    Alexandre Dayant
    The French president’s engagement with the country’s overseas territories leaves a legacy of promise and betrayal.
  • 26 Sep 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • New Caledonia
    • Bougainville

    The Pacific and a “third option” to the independence question

    Kerryn Baker
    Bougainville or New Caledonia could chart their own course with “flexible sovereignty” – but that might not be enough.
  • 23 Sep 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific

    Solomons and Kiribati snub Taiwan for China – does it matter?

    Jonathan Pryke
    In shifting allegiances, two Pacific nations reaffirm China’s rising profile, but their own challenges remain the same.
  • 19 Sep 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific Aid Map: An update

    Jonathan Pryke , Alexandre Dayant
    New data and new tools aim to improve research into foreign aid in the Pacific region.
  • 11 Sep 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: diplomatic wrangling and country nomenclature

    Alexandre Dayant
    From Solomon Islands to Cook Islands, controversy abounds with stories from across the Pacific Islands region.
  • 3 Sep 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia and the Pacific

    Waking up to Australia’s real Pacific family

    Wadan Narsey
    A simple act of generosity could have recast Australia’s climate-change politics in the region for the better.
  • 28 Aug 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Climate change

    The Kainaki II Declaration is a signal of Pacific strength

    Dame Meg Taylor
    This amounts to the strongest statement the Pacific Islands Forum has ever issued collectively on climate change.
  • 28 Aug 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: Forum fallout, PNG’s reshuffle plus new Nauru President

    Alexandre Dayant
    Australia stumbles on the step up, plus links and stories from the Pacific islands region.
  • 26 Aug 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Papua New Guinea

    The changing dynamics of Australia, PNG and the Pacific

    Watna Mori
    The visit by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Marape signalled a new chapter in a historical relationship.
  • 15 Aug 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific courts need more women judges

    Anna Dziedzic
    Women are rarely seen in Pacific Island judiciaries, but the tide is starting to turn.
  • 14 Aug 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    The state of the Pacific as the 2019 Forum convenes

    Jon Fraenkel
    This year’s gathering will hear new, old, and recycled ideas, but the ones that make a difference may not make the news.
  • 14 Aug 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: Bainimarama’s back, Australia chided on climate, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    With the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ summit about to get underway, here are featured stories from across the region.
  • 7 Aug 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Indonesia

    Pacific islands stand ground on West Papua push

    Johnny Blades
    In a battle of wills in the region, Australia and Indonesia now find the island nations have a measure of leverage.
  • 7 Aug 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia and Climate Change
    • Climate change

    Climate change is a national security issue

    Pat Conroy
    The Morrison government’s Pacific “Step Up” will stumble before it starts unless global warming is taken seriously.
  • 1 Aug 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • China

    China’s aid: lend your money, (don’t) lose your friend

    Alexandre Dayant , Sulagna Basu
    “Friendship” is a common formula Beijing’s uses describe its Pacific ties – but what does being friends really mean?
  • 31 Jul 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: life on Manus, kava questions, seasonal workers, more

    Jonathan Pryke
    From tracking development data to the visit of PNG’s PM, stories and links from across the Pacific islands region.
  • 30 Jul 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • United States
    • Australia
    • New Zealand

    The Pacific step up goes to Washington

    Alan C. Tidwell
    Finding a voice amid the diplomatic clamour in Washington can sometimes benefit from the help of friends.
  • 26 Jul 2019
    • Asia
    • Pacific Islands
    • France

    The limits to French grandeur in the Indo-Pacific

    Qi Siang Ng
    Emmanuel Macron wants to restore France to be a great power but despite a regional footprint his dreams may be fleeting.
  • 17 Jul 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: China challenge, an “Elevation”, power lifting, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    <p>Between a Step Up, Reset, Uplift and Elevation, plenty of diplomatic attention is focused on the region.</p>
  • 9 Jul 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • United States

    The US does more in the Pacific than it gives itself credit for

    Michael Walsh
    Technical definitions of what counts as “aid” fail to capture the full scope of American assistance in the region.
  • 3 Jul 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: power games, volcanic eruptions, and media blackouts

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from across the Pacific islands region.
  • 27 Jun 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Public Opinion
    • Australia

    The Pacific: pinching pennies doesn’t make for policy longevity

    Jonathan Pryke , Shane McLeod
    Australians might be wary on aid but are far more alert to the region’s biggest security concern in climate change.
  • 21 Jun 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea

    Australia’s aid in PNG: the need for a gendered approach

    Jonathan Pryke , Divya Venkataraman
    Tackling endemic domestic violence and the lack of women in parliament should be renewed as a focus across the Pacific.
  • 19 Jun 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: Paladin problems persist, climate warriors, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Manus Island contract trouble, New Zealand’s cash splash for defence, and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 5 Jun 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: Marape takes the reins, showing up to step up, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 5 Jun 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Technology

    The Pacific’s social politics

    Alastair Davis
    Damaging rumours might flash across phones, yet the answer to social media trouble lies not in bans but engagement.
  • 31 May 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • China
    • Taiwan

    The importance of Taiwan’s diplomatic partners in Oceania

    Timothy S. Rich
    With the China challenge in the Pacific, Australia and the US could work together to help Taiwan preserve regional ties.
  • 27 May 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • India

    Modi’s second term: what it means for the South Pacific

    Teesta Prakash
    Having rebuilt long neglected ties to the region, Modi looks set to capitalise on an “Indo-Pacific” connection.
  • 22 May 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: surely not another MPs citizenship saga ..., more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Solomon Islands demands to Taiwan, trouble in Tuvalu, the journey to be a seasonal worker and more regional stories.
  • 22 May 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • United States

    Sign of respect: the Freely Associated States come to Washington

    Genevieve Neilson
    Wooed by China and Taiwan, the presidents of Palau, Micronesia and Marshall Islands now sit down with Donald Trump.
  • 8 May 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: UN chief inbound, don’t forget slip slop slap, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Tuvalu has no sunscreen, kickboxing titles in PNG, the ADB in Fiji, plus links from the Pacific islands region.
  • 24 Apr 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea

    A billion reasons: the future of PNG’s Sustainable Development Fund

    Shane McLeod
    PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill is waging battle in the courts over a predecessor’s multi-billion dollar legacy.
  • 23 Apr 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting
    • Bougainville

    Simplistic and wrong to say the ABC is missing from Pacific coverage

    Kellie Mayo
    So often the ABC asks questions to provide answers other media outlets run with.
  • 17 Apr 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australian Foreign Aid

    Follow the money: how foreign aid spending tells of Pacific priorities

    Alexandre Dayant
    Donor countries, be it Australia or China, illustrate their regional interests by where they choose to put their cash.
  • 10 Apr 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: just two women in Solomon Islands parliament, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 29 Mar 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • France

    Ignoring international law in the Blue Pacific

    Nic Maclellan
    Colonised peoples have rights to resources, on land and in the oceans, and this must be recognised.
  • 27 Mar 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: Tsai’s island travels, new in Niue, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Indonesia’s interests in the neighbourhood, Vanuatu’s economy, and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 21 Mar 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Getting the right data is step one to address Pacific problems

    Murray Ackman
    Much of the information needed to tackle regional challenges already exists – gathering this data is key.
  • 19 Mar 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Not one, but two new points of tension for France in the Pacific

    Alexandre Dayant
    Two tiny and uninhabited islands have revived deep tensions between France and Vanuatu, even after New Caledonia’s vote.
  • 13 Mar 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: faux pas, cricket bats, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 12 Mar 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Australia and the Pacific

    Canberra’s Pacific pivot is bereft of vision

    Edward Cavanough
    The government’s motivations appear sincere but are riddled with anxiety about the risks of investing in the region.
  • 28 Feb 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia and the Pacific

    Sovereignty for citizenship might help the Pacific

    Bruce Hill
    You can’t eat sovereignty, you can’t drink independence, and you can’t build a house in the middle of the ocean.
  • 27 Feb 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific Links: earthquakes, cyclones, and single-use plastic

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 15 Feb 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • China

    A rising China and the future of the “Blue Pacific”

    Dame Meg Taylor
    China’s growing economic and political strength globally brings both challenges and opportunities for the Pacific.
  • 13 Feb 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific Links: logging paradox, erupted islands, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
Pagination
  • Previous page ‹‹
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Current page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • 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 2025 Lowy Institute

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