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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 9 Jul 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Australia

    The changing face of Australia’s diplomatic network

    Nicholas Bosworth
    A stocktake shows rising political appointments but Australia’s heads of mission now far better reflect the population.
  • 6 Jul 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia

    Australia right to back Biden on democracy

    Ben Scott
    Foreign policy trade-offs are an uncomfortable truth on the road to rules-based freedom.
  • 2 Jul 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • Australian Development Assistance
    • Australia
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Sex and Gender

    Forgiveness not permission: A feminist foreign policy

    Alice Ridge , Joanna Pradela
    If Australia wants to adopt a values-based approach to the world, the next step is obvious.
  • 1 Jul 2021
    • Foreign Investment in Australia
    • Australia

    Economic diplomacy: Surviving the pandemic’s foreign predators

    Greg Earl
    Chinese investment interest in Australia remains high despite the coercion row.
  • 28 Jun 2021
    • Public Opinion
    • Australia
    • Australian Public Opinion
    • Indonesia

    Building stronger Australia-Indonesia ties

    Ben Bland
    The latest Lowy Poll shows the gaps in public understanding that bedevils the goal of closer bilateral relations.
  • 24 Jun 2021
    • Trade
    • Free Trade
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    Australia sweeps the table in the UK trade deal

    Dmitry Grozoubinski
    Tariff elimination on this scale through a free trade agreement is almost unprecedented.
  • 24 Jun 2021
    • Public Opinion
    • Australia
    • Australian Public Opinion
    • India

    The dangers in Australia’s blissful ignorance about India

    Lavina Lee
    It’s far from all bad news. But Australians don’t know that other Asian great power as well as they should.
  • 23 Jun 2021
    • Public Opinion
    • Australia
    • Australian Public Opinion
    • China

    By the numbers: Charting the Australia-China relationship in decline

    Natasha Kassam
    Trust has plummeted and concern about China’s military is growing. And Australians point a finger of blame at Beijing.
  • 23 Jun 2021
    • Public Opinion
    • Australia
    • Australian Public Opinion

    How Australians look in the mirror, and out a window to the world

    Caitlin Byrne
    The reflection people see might be rosy, but Australians need a better understanding of how others might see us.
  • 18 Jun 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia

    Maladies, remedies and optimising security

    Victor Abramowicz
    A closer defence relationship with the US must be balanced by nuanced diplomacy to most benefit Australia’s security.
  • 17 Jun 2021
    • Asia
    • Trade
    • Australia
    • Migration
    • United Kingdom

    Economic diplomacy: Trade deals for a fast-growing family

    Greg Earl
    New ties with Britain to “right a historic wrong” but visa schemes for regional workers could generate another headache.
  • 17 Jun 2021
    • Australia
    • Climate change
    • Energy

    Coal’s decline is underway, no matter what Australia’s politicians say

    Frank Jotzo
    Key countries are positioning for huge investments in clean energy industries and Australia should take its slice.
  • 16 Jun 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia

    An alliance of democracies is essential

    Michael J Green
    The only question is ­– what kind?
  • 15 Jun 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia
    • China

    Australia’s China politics heats up

    James Laurenceson
    The “bad strategy” towards Beijing is exposed as the gloves come off in Australia’s domestic foreign policy debates.
  • 11 Jun 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia

    Australia should steer the US off a values-based Indo-Pacific strategy

    Ashley Townshend , Susannah Patton
    Rallying the world’s democracies to check China’s power can only unite a narrow coalition in the region.
  • 2 Jun 2021
    • United Nations
    • Australia
    • Indonesia

    Troubled waters? Australia-Indonesia maritime boundary in the news

    Bec Strating
    It would not be a good example for the region should Canberra and Jakarta be unable to resolve “technical amendments”.
  • 31 May 2021
    • Public Opinion
    • International Public Opinion
    • Australia and Climate Change
    • Australia
    • Australian Public Opinion
    • Climate change

    As varied as the weather: How public attitudes shape climate policy

    Bec Colvin
    Opinion surveys across the big emitters reveal the social complexity surrounding climate policy commitments.
  • 28 May 2021
    • Australia
    • India
    • Migration

    Indians are becoming visible in Australia like never before

    Aarti Betigeri
    Outrage over the two-week India travel ban is another marker of the diaspora’s growing influence in Australian politics.
  • 26 May 2021
    • Australia
    • Australian Public Opinion
    • Climate change
    • Environment

    Paying the price: Australians want action on climate change

    Hannah Léser
    New Lowy Institute polling reveals a growing public appetite to tackle environmental concerns – even at a cost.
  • 21 May 2021
    • China
    • Australia

    Australia-China relations: More hurdles ahead

    Jennifer Hsu
    Across a range of issues, already high tensions may well increase. The public mood looks set to further sour.
  • 20 May 2021
    • Australia's Trade
    • Australia's Economy
    • Australia
    • China

    Economic diplomacy: Budgeting for China and the price that matters

    Greg Earl
    China isn’t mentioned nearly as much in the government’s latest budget papers, but its presence looms throughout.
  • 19 May 2021
    • Australia
    • Migration
    • Coronavirus

    When border control goes over the line

    Donald R Rothwell
    It will take months to repatriate Australians from Covid-ravaged India. A policy reset is urgently needed.
  • 18 May 2021
    • Australia
    • Migration
    • Coronavirus

    Australia and migration: Will the Covid pause become a full stop?

    Sam Roggeveen
    A bipartisan consensus about high immigration remains. But so does arrogance about Australia’s place in the region.
  • 18 May 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • China-Australia Relations
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Australia
    • China
    • Australia–New Zealand

    A rare test of China diplomacy

    Elliott Zaagman
    Australia and New Zealand provide a case for whether it pays to be nice – or if it’s simply not worth bothering.
  • 13 May 2021
    • Cyber Security
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Indonesia
    • Technology

    Indonesia responds to the cyber dark side

    Greta Nabbs-Keller , RM Wibawanto Nugroho Widodo
    Australia will also benefit from practical bilateral cooperation to enhance Indonesia’s cyber security.
  • 12 May 2021
    • Australian Foreign Aid
    • Australia

    Australian aid: How low can it go?

    Jonathan Pryke
    As the developing world suffers a crisis unlike any ever seen, the budget shows Australia at its least generous ever.
  • 10 May 2021
    • Australia
    • Migration
    • Coronavirus

    Closed borders: The unequal waiting game

    Angela Lehmann
    Old notions about international mobility will need to be revised, especially for students travelling abroad.
  • 4 May 2021
    • Trade
    • Australia
    • China

    Australia keeps calm while China carries on

    Sam Roggeveen
    In the face of sustained coercion, Canberra has rejected the urge to seek economic revenge against Beijing.
  • 3 May 2021
    • Public Opinion
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    State of mind: How Australians see the pandemic and efforts to help

    Natasha Kassam
    New polling by the Lowy Institute looks at Australians’ attitudes to Covid-19 responses at home and abroad.
  • 3 May 2021
    • Sustainability
    • Australia
    • Climate change
    • Antarctica
    • Environment
    • International law

    The Davis aerodrome and Australia’s leadership in the Antarctic

    Nengye Liu , Paul Govind
    How can Australia pretend to uphold the ATS while pursuing a project that risks unprecedented ecological impact?
  • 22 Apr 2021
    • Asia
    • United States
    • Trade
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Japan
    • Technology

    Economic diplomacy: Supply chains, ASEAN wanes, and Japan’s coal dump

    Greg Earl
    Will government have to pick a winner for 6G networks to show the US and Japan as “global leaders in innovation”?
  • 20 Apr 2021
    • United States
    • Australia

    Roosevelt’s lessons for nations across generations

    Philip Citowicki
    Over a century ago, Theodore Roosevelt declared “the quality of the leaders is all-important”. It’s as true now as then.
  • 15 Apr 2021
    • Trade
    • Australia
    • China

    Will the Five Eyes stare down China’s economic coercion?

    James Laurenceson
    Trade figures suggest promises to “have Australia’s back” are yet to be matched by economic solidarity.
  • 12 Apr 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • China
    • India
    • Japan

    The Quad (finally) delivers: Can it be sustained?

    Susan Thornton
    The future of the grouping might well be determined by China’s behaviour.
  • 9 Apr 2021
    • Australia
    • Vietnam

    Obstacles and opportunities in Vietnam-Australia ties

    Hanh Nguyen
    The two countries see the region from different vantage points. But the prospects for cooperation are growing.
  • 8 Apr 2021
    • Trade
    • China-Australia Relations
    • Australia's Trade
    • Australia's Economy
    • Australia
    • China
    • Coronavirus

    The big bark but small bite of China’s trade coercion

    Roland Rajah
    Targeted sanctions on Australian exports have affected billions in trade, but the real damage has been limited.
  • 30 Mar 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia
    • Sex and Gender

    Australia must walk the talk on women’s rights – globally and at home

    Leanne Smith
    It’s not just local politics. Australia’s credibility with a feminist foreign policy, in name or not, is on the line.
  • 30 Mar 2021
    • Public Opinion
    • United States
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    Taking the measure of prejudice in a pandemic

    Xiao Tan , Leah Ruppanner , Rennie Lee
    Has Covid-19 heightened anti-Asian bias in Australia? A new survey shows some worrying signs.
  • 26 Mar 2021
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Technology

    Facebook’s monopoly danger in the Pacific

    Amanda Watson , Jemima Garrett
    The social media giant’s move to “unfriend” Australia highlighted complex threats to information security in the region.
  • 24 Mar 2021
    • Australia
    • Climate change

    The world sees the climate crisis in Australia’s floods. Do we?

    Edmond Roy
    Australia needs to lead in response to climate change or find itself become a global symbol for inaction.
  • 23 Mar 2021
    • Australia
    • Multiculturalism

    Australian politics should be as diverse as its people

    Osmond Chiu
    Strengthening the country’s global image requires true diversity in political representation.
  • 23 Mar 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia
    • South Korea

    When a middle power is not caught in the middle

    Jeffrey Robertson
    Different understandings of the world where a middle power sits has led South Korea down a different path to Australia.
  • 18 Mar 2021
    • Terrorism
    • Australia
    • New Zealand

    Lessons from Christchurch

    Hannah Léser
    The findings of a New Zealand inquiry apply broadly: government leadership is needed to combat far-right extremism.
  • 16 Mar 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • India
    • Japan
    • Southeast Asia
    • Coronavirus

    The Quad gives a boost to India’s vaccine diplomacy

    Teesta Prakash
    Countering China’s influence is one thing. But fostering regional cooperation plays to the strengths of the grouping.
  • 15 Mar 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • China
    • India
    • Japan

    A new “concert” to govern the Indo-Pacific

    Pang Zhongying
    For Quad leaders emphasising an “inclusive” region, there may be a ready-made example for involving China.
  • 12 Mar 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia
    • Iran

    Iran: Could Australia’s hostage diplomacy have been better?

    Ian Parmeter
    A public campaign by Australia’s government to try to shame Iran into freeing Kylie Moore-Gilbert would not have worked.
  • 10 Mar 2021
    • Australia
    • European Union
    • Coronavirus

    Covid vaccines: Charity begins at home

    David Ritchie
    Italy’s block on a vaccine shipment to Australia looks suspiciously like Europe’s version of the “America first” policy.
  • 10 Mar 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • India's Navy
    • Australian Navy
    • Australia
    • India

    Sea denial is not enough: An Australian and Indian perspective

    James Goldrick , Sudarshan Y. Shrikhande
    Debates over naval policy need to be mounted with a full understanding of just what a nation needs to do at sea.
  • 8 Mar 2021
    • Australia
    • Sex and Gender

    Advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Australia

    Laura J. Shepherd , Kit Catterson
    A second National Action Plan is overdue. It’s not too late to integrate concerns about causes of gender-based violence.
  • 5 Mar 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia
    • Review

    Her brilliant career

    Michael Wesley
    An entertaining and informative memoir about a woman’s career through a deeply patriarchal profession in diplomacy.
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