1 Aug 2019
Economic diplomacy: Guns versus butter, trade wars, and feeding PNG
Could trade talks with China be split from broader diplomacy in order to escape a security dilemma?
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31 Jul 2019
A podium protest aimed at swimming’s administrators, not China
Those trying to turn Mack Horton’s spat with Sun Yang into an attack on China have plunged down the wrong lane. -
31 Jul 2019
The bittersweet pill in the Australia-India sugar stoush
The WTO fight over India’s sugar subsidies is a chance for New Delhi to encourage farmers into more profitable crops. -
30 Jul 2019
The Pacific step up goes to Washington
Finding a voice amid the diplomatic clamour in Washington can sometimes benefit from the help of friends. -
19 Jul 2019
Australia, New Zealand and the “corrosive” character test
Hundreds of Kiwis have had Australian visas cancelled and a new law could see the trans-Tasman dispute yet grow worse. -
17 Jul 2019
Australia’s alliance with the US is defined by more than one President
The Lowy poll shows deep appreciation for the contribution ties to the US make to Australia’s prosperity and security. -
17 Jul 2019
Harnessing demographic destiny
Competition for the world’s best and brightest will intensify as global population growth slows. Is Australia ready? -
12 Jul 2019
Professor White, the bomb can endanger but not defend Australia
Nuclear weapons have dubious operational utility and discarding treaty obligations would leave the stench of hypocrisy. -
11 Jul 2019
Australia-Indonesia ties: escaping the beefs about boats or Bali
Don't jinx it, but a few promising signs suggest bilateral ties could be entering a new period of relative stability. -
10 Jul 2019
Progress of women in diplomacy a point of pride for DFAT
More women than ever are in key diplomatic positions for Australia. -
2 Jul 2019
Book review: Hugh White’s How to Defend Australia
This quietly radical book calls on Australia to plan as if our US alliance will diminish to the point of vanishing. -
28 Jun 2019
National security: Australians and their elites
A tour through this year’s Lowy Institute Poll to see where the public differs from political leaders. -
27 Jun 2019
Australian attitudes to China shift: 2019 Lowy Poll
A deep dive into the 2019 Lowy poll reveals an across-the-board hardening of Australian attitudes towards China. -
27 Jun 2019
The Pacific: pinching pennies doesn’t make for policy longevity
Australians might be wary on aid but are far more alert to the region’s biggest security concern in climate change. -
27 Jun 2019
The Matildas and Socceroos vs. Marta and Messi
Australia’s growing interest and standing in the world game is opening unexpected and lucrative ties with Latin America. -
26 Jun 2019
Are Australians more worried about climate change or climate policy?
Climate change is again on the public mind but this didn’t translate to a strong message at the ballot box for action. -
26 Jun 2019
The polls were wrong, but here’s our poll, and why you should read it
Election pollsters must deal with tricky challenges but issues polls – such as the Lowy Institute Poll – are different. -
24 Jun 2019
Iran: Australia’s deliberate ambiguity
Even without direct conflict, Washington’s tensions with Tehran pose an awkward alliance challenge for Canberra. -
19 Jun 2019
Australia should pursue opportunities in a booming Bangladesh
It’s wise to recall East Asia was unsettled and dangerous only a few decades ago, yet now drives Australia’s prosperity. -
14 Jun 2019
Baby milk and tantrums after Chinese ships show the flag in Sydney
Plenty of real tensions exist in Australia-China relations and media myth-making doesn’t help escape misunderstanding. -
13 Jun 2019
Maybe Australia should donate a warship to Sri Lanka
Far from surplus or scrap, the navy’s last Adelaide Class frigates are strategic assets that can still serve a mission. -
13 Jun 2019
The “khaki cavalcade” dilemma when soldiers become public servants
A second career for professional military veterans is not antithetical to the idea of civilian control of defence. -
12 Jun 2019
That Trump phone call to Australia and what it means to refugees today
Secret “swaps” might have led the US President to hang up on Malcolm Turnbull but the principle of the deal must stand. -
11 Jun 2019
It’s time for Australia to scale up its energy diplomacy
A huge transformation of global energy production and consumption is underway but sorely needs international governance. -
7 Jun 2019
Fierravanti-Wells’ outburst tells more than just a China story
A Liberal senator’s spectacular break with party discipline shows differences on Beijing cut across partisan lines. -
6 Jun 2019
A sea ride with Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour
<p>Floating a different brand of diplomacy has plenty of attraction but still finds some choppy regional waters.</p> -
28 May 2019
From fill-in to full-time Foreign Minister
Marise Payne’s experience in defence and security has been obvious, but what more will drive her diplomacy? -
27 May 2019
What a new Russian ambassador might mean for relations with Australia
<p>Differences don’t have to mean deadlock: plenty of challenges offer Canberra and Moscow a chance to cooperate.</p> -
27 May 2019
Modi’s second term: what it means for the South Pacific
Having rebuilt long neglected ties to the region, Modi looks set to capitalise on an “Indo-Pacific” connection. -
20 May 2019
Australia’s presidential politics
By focusing on himself, Scott Morrison also made the election a leadership choice, putting Bill Shorten in a spotlight. -
20 May 2019
Australia’s election: what the hell just happened?
Don’t assume the last decade of political chaos is over as the major parties remain drained of authority and purpose. -
17 May 2019
What a Shorten government will mean for the US-Australia alliance
Revolution? No, but Bill Shorten might find it tricky to grin and bear it in dealings with Donald Trump’s White House. -
16 May 2019
Peeling back the label in Australia’s America and China relationships
Whether “friends”, “customers” or more, a definitive policy stamp is not needed to navigate security and economic ties. -
16 May 2019
Young, energised, ready to vote, and maybe decide two elections
In both India and Australia, two very different campaigns are united in an effort to woo the growing youth vote. -
15 May 2019
Time to reverse the Indonesian language disaster on our shores
It is crucial the next government invest in languages, that of Australia’s largest neighbour the most obvious example. -
13 May 2019
Charting 50 years of turning tides in Australian politics
A long view of the political cycle points not only to a Labor victory but shows a record number of independents already. -
10 May 2019
My mother’s life: faraway dreams, new growth and seeking acceptance
Born to a world in flames, set back by illness, an adventure to Australia would strengthen the threads of a nation. -
8 May 2019
What the world thinks is at stake in Australia’s election campaign
<p>Four overseas views from near neighbours to distant friends on whether Australia’s contest much matters.</p> -
1 May 2019
Trafficking in old anxieties
The politics of “border control” is at odds with Australia’s successful record of humanitarian resettlement. -
1 May 2019
A bugle for bigotry: does hate speech in Australia resonate in Asia?
Neighbours might roll their eyes in bemusement, yet worry more about their own regional problems with discrimination. -
30 Apr 2019
Adapting to climate change: the priority for Australia
Understanding the “new normal” to protect people’s livelihoods should be at the core of the next government’s agenda. -
30 Apr 2019
Visa tussles: here come the Irish again
Australia’s privileged access to a US special working visa class is under challenge once more and will likely be lost. -
29 Apr 2019
The chance for Australia to urge ASEAN to act on the Rohingya crisis
ASEAN will never be in the business of naming and shaming, but its past way of doing diplomacy is evolving. -
18 Apr 2019
Don’t rely on luck: making the most of the FTA with Indonesia
It is time to put Indonesian back on the priority list of languages to be studied in Australia. -
16 Apr 2019
ISIS: the generational problem
For all the concern about the children of foreign jihadis, thousands of ISIS detainees in Iraq pose a bigger danger. -
12 Apr 2019
Julian Assange’s case is special, and no point pretending otherwise
Assange’s case, difficult as it is, unpleasant a character as he can appear, is still a test of Australian principles. -
12 Apr 2019
Australia-India: naval drills show trust, yet political caution still
Exercises with submarines marks a significant step, but New Delhi is wary of any four-way cooperation with Canberra. -
11 Apr 2019
ISIS: children should not pay for the sins of the parents
The children born overseas to Australian mothers should be recognised as citizens and have a right to return. -
5 Apr 2019
Refugees are educating themselves abroad. Australia should help
A bipartisan border policy would not be undermined by doing more to help stateless people who seek to help themselves. -
2 Apr 2019
The cost of terror: two tales of country life
The small town of Loxton in South Australia has seen bravery and betrayal, a microcosm of a globalised Islamist threat.