31 Jan 2022
ASEAN and Myanmar: No sign of progress
Despite aiming to promote regional stability, the grouping has struggled to find consensus after the coup in Naypyidaw.
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10 Jan 2022
Indian Ocean step-up
India is in the driver’s seat to build new security structures in the region, but it can’t do it alone. -
30 Dec 2021
The junta takes back Myanmar – Best of The Interpreter 2021
A coup in February sparked countrywide protests and challenged the region to respond. -
13 Dec 2021
Myanmar’s annus horribilis
The security situation is more complex and dangerous than it has been since the 1950s, without a resolution in sight. -
17 Nov 2021
Myanmar: Totalitarian terror shouldn’t fly on our watch
Australia should join applying sanctions – and if necessary, support a no-fly zone – to stop killings by the junta. -
22 Oct 2021
ASEAN muddles through on Myanmar
An interesting regional precedent is set by the decision to stop the junta leader attending upcoming summit meetings. -
20 Oct 2021
If pushed far enough, would Myanmar leave ASEAN?
Some generals once feared joining the regional body would expose Myanmar to foreign pressures. -
21 Sep 2021
Myanmar’s extreme Buddhist nationalists
The release of hard-line Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu bodes ill for the rights of the country's religious minorities. -
10 Aug 2021
The battle for Myanmar’s seat in the UN General Assembly
An empty chair in New York would be a potent reflection of the situation on the ground in post-coup Myanmar. -
12 Jul 2021
Covid crisis deepens in junta-ruled Myanmar
Patchwork restrictions haven’t contained the virus. And now the danger is spilling over the border to neighbours. -
28 Jun 2021
Supporting the victims of sexual violence in Myanmar
With the military often complicit in crimes, access to civil society organisations is increasingly difficult. -
15 Jun 2021
Myanmar, terrorism and the demands of international politics
Name-calling is one thing, but the new kind of civil war may cause problems for the opposition movement. -
10 Jun 2021
Myanmar pushes ASEAN to the brink
But there are lessons from other regional organisations in responding to a coup and political crisis. -
26 May 2021
Myanmar is not the next Syria
Comparisons may help draw attention to the crisis, but they ignore essential differences. -
24 May 2021
ASEAN’s huge gamble on Myanmar
If it doesn’t move quickly on its hard-won consensus, the organisation risks letting the junta call the shots. -
13 May 2021
Myanmar and a new kind of civil war
Urban dissidents trained by battle-hardened guerillas in the countryside could make things harder for the Tatmadaw. -
29 Apr 2021
Response to Myanmar coup shows need for UN reform
Veto power on the Security Council too often obstructs action in the face of atrocities. Here are some ways around it. -
27 Apr 2021
Guiding Myanmar away from ruin
Many Southeast Asian nations have struggled with authoritarianism. Maybe the family can steer Myanmar straight. -
26 Apr 2021
Indonesia raises ASEAN’s bar on Myanmar
President Joko Widodo had nothing to gain domestically in calling a special summit. But in not failing, he succeeded. -
21 Apr 2021
Indonesia gambles on special ASEAN summit on Myanmar
Joko Widodo may have an eye to his legacy by inviting the junta to Jakarta, but it could also cost his prestige. -
24 Mar 2021
The upward spiral of violence in Myanmar
Past experience shows the protesters’ options are limited – fight back and the fight will only get harder. -
22 Mar 2021
Myanmar coup: ASEAN’s quiet diplomacy is more constructive
Critics of the Southeast Asian organisation’s response miss the opportunity that is offered by trusted engagement. -
12 Mar 2021
A smarter use of voting technology to stop election-related violence
Maybe in the search for efficiency we sometimes overcomplicate things, and the better solution is to get back to basics. -
11 Mar 2021
Economic diplomacy: The business of coups and China’s Quad response
Companies are finding themselves torn between conscience and keeping the lights on when it comes to Myanmar. -
11 Mar 2021
Myanmar’s personalised politics
It can be simplistic to reduce complex problems to two stubborn people, but we can wonder about what might have been. -
19 Feb 2021
Myanmar’s coup will test the loyalty of the security forces
Don’t assume the various armed forces organisations are just a mindless mass prepared to do whatever they are told. -
11 Feb 2021
The importance of Myanmar’s pots and pans protests
Popular resistance to the military coup has taken a variety of forms, some of them harder to silence than others. -
8 Feb 2021
Myanmar: Calling a coup a coup
The military argues that it has operated within the country’s constitution. That’s simply not true. -
3 Feb 2021
Myanmar’s empty promise of constitutional reform
Democracy campaigners tried to play by the military’s rules. They suffered for it anyway. -
3 Feb 2021
The coup in Myanmar: What do we know?
The trigger for a military takeover remains unclear. Plenty of good questions have very few satisfactory answers. -
2 Feb 2021
International relations video of the year – by February
Extraordinary footage of the coup in Myanmar by no stretch of the imagination. -
26 Nov 2020
Myanmar’s military-backed opposition party stares into political abyss
An electoral failure might be a repudiation of the military’s influence in politics – but not its irrelevance. -
12 Oct 2020
Why Myanmar’s elections won’t be free, fair or safe
The polls should be delayed. The danger of spreading the virus is one reason. Ongoing disenfranchisement is another. -
7 Sep 2020
Myanmar election: A fractured process
An ongoing pandemic, technical troubles, voter disenfranchisement and ruling party dominance bode poorly for change. -
25 Aug 2020
A measure of change in Myanmar election
With a slate of new parties and shifting alliances, a repeat of the NLD landslide of 2015 is unlikely. -
3 Jul 2020
Southeast Asian democracies in declining health amid Covid-19
An illiberal turn across the region has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Australia should take note. -
17 Jun 2020
ASEAN Summit: A chance to engage on the Rohingya crisis
The regional body has been notably silent on genocide in Myanmar, ducking behind the myth of non-interference. -
27 May 2020
Rohingya in Malaysia, doubly trapped
Panics have a way of seeking out victims, and the Rohingya in Malaysia have been easy targets during the pandemic. -
8 May 2020
Under cover of Covid-19, conflict in Myanmar goes unchecked
Repression and violence against ethnic minorities carries on, even in the face of international investigations. -
16 Apr 2020
A decisive month for Covid-19 in Myanmar – and region beyond
Nestled between giants comprising half the global population, control or contagion in Myanmar has huge ramifications. -
5 Mar 2020
Side effects: Covid-19 allows India a chance to lend Myanmar a hand
India is increasing competing with China in its neighbourhood, so helping out in a crisis is a good way to make friends. -
4 Mar 2020
Stirring hatreds ahead of Myanmar elections
Hate speech and extremist ideology are on the rise as parties vie for votes, and more violence could be the consequence. -
14 Feb 2020
The tiny African country making a big case against Myanmar
The plight of the Rohingya has had the world’s attention for years. What made Gambia stand up and do something about it? -
24 Jan 2020
For Rohingya, the long distance between law and justice
This week’s ruling at the International Court of Justice delivered a stern rebuke, but it won’t stick. -
16 Jan 2020
What Xi wants in Myanmar may not be what he gets
China is making huge investments in its Southeast Asian neighbour, but peace will cost more than that. -
12 Dec 2019
Aung San Suu Kyi: Why defend the indefensible?
Even when revered as a democratic icon, Aung San Suu Kyi always insisted she was a politician, and has since proved it. -
11 Dec 2019
The Gambia v Myanmar: Day 1
Hearings begin in the Rohingya genocide case at the International Court of Justice, with procedural argument dominating. -
4 Dec 2019
In conversation: Malaysia’s Foreign Minister on great power rivalry
From the South China Sea to the Rohingya crisis, Saifuddin Abdullah speaks to Lowy’s Ben Bland on Asia’s big challenges. -
13 Nov 2019
A motion towards justice in Myanmar
An International Court of Justice filing seeks to declare the state committed acts of genocide against the Rohingya. -
21 Oct 2019
Facebook, the Rohingya, and internet blackouts in Myanmar
Online restrictions imposed on the Rohingya in Myanmar and in refugee camps in Bangladesh should be repealed.