16 Nov 2020
Putting real Australian money on the table to help Indonesia
An outright loan for A$1.5 billion won’t meet all Indonesia’s needs – but it’s a very welcome start.
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12 Nov 2020
In post-Covid recovery, hidden costs of going green
An environmentally sustainable recovery from the pandemic’s economic damage shouldn’t disadvantage developing countries. -
29 Oct 2020
Lessons from Covid: Tackling disease with a city-by-city approach
Two examples – Wuhan and Singapore – show that lockdowns of densely populated urban centres are effective if done right. -
27 Oct 2020
Singapore and Sri Lanka: Newfound opportunities amid Covid-19 pandemic
Singapore’s efforts to diversify food imports is a practical choice that bodes well for Colombo’s Asia-centric policy. -
26 Oct 2020
Crew-change crisis risks supply chains – and lives
Some 400,000 seafarers are currently stuck on ships, past the end of their contracts, unable to go home. -
26 Oct 2020
Can Covid-19 advance gender equality in China’s health policies?
The coronavirus pandemic revealed the disconnect between wishful official edicts and rigid social conventions. -
21 Oct 2020
Diplomacy after Covid: No looking back
This will not be the last year the world gathers in a virtual meeting – just think beyond Zoom as the platform. -
7 Oct 2020
Global trade policy at a lull, but for how long?
With economies and trade meetings cut down by Covid‑19, and political uncertainty in the air, we’re at a standstill. -
3 Oct 2020
Protecting political leaders from Covid-19
Power and rank offer no immunity to the coronavirus. What is a leader supposed to do? -
1 Oct 2020
In Bangladesh, Covid adds to a list of maladies
A stalling economy, climate challenges, a refugee crisis, and now a spat with Saudi Arabia make for troubling times. -
30 Sep 2020
Duterte’s vaccine promise is a political placebo
The Philippine president has pinned hopes on a miracle solution to the Covid crisis while gutting effective responses. -
23 Sep 2020
How much did the spies really know about the virus?
What was said (and, just as importantly, not said) in Australia hints at early intelligence assessments of Covid-19. -
22 Sep 2020
Building a Covid vaccine strategy for Australia
Tempering expectations is a start. The next test will be to ensure the most vulnerable are not left behind. -
17 Sep 2020
Covid-19 and Indonesian monetary policy
Funding the deficit is a necessary short-term measure, but “free money” can lead down a dangerous path. -
16 Sep 2020
Where the US went wrong in the pandemic
Public health in America is inherently a political issue. It didn’t need to be a partisan one. -
10 Sep 2020
Economic diplomacy: Borders, barriers and obstacles
Reshoring incentives gather steam, India’s RCEP regrets sink in, and Indonesia’s stimulus spending gets stuck. -
10 Sep 2020
Working one for the planet
After a lifetime employed, what if people spend one last year in the job and donate their salary to charity? I’m game. -
7 Sep 2020
Pandemic democracy
Voting is based on trust between citizens and their government. In an age of social distancing, such faith is tested. -
7 Sep 2020
How Russia benefited from Belarus’s turmoil
The “last European dictator” has turned back to the Kremlin after the West imposed sanctions for recent crackdowns. -
1 Sep 2020
Covid economic recovery a long-term test for Australian leadership
Australia faces rising unemployment, increased debt and lower living standards, but the challenges are not insuperable. -
27 Aug 2020
Economic diplomacy: Spilled milk and foreign wages
The government blocks a sale to a Chinese dairy firm, overseas remittances stay afloat, and ministers talk frameworks. -
20 Aug 2020
In Malaysia’s Covid “infodemic”, crime is all too easy
A crackdown on the spreading of false information is unfair if people don’t have the means to spot it. -
18 Aug 2020
Diplomacy and global governance after Covid‑19: Prepare for change
Centralised decision-making and tighter budgets are here to stay, with pointless political talkfest out of the way. -
14 Aug 2020
World order in the time of coronavirus
Blame China and Russia. But the real cause of breakdown in the “rules-based international order” lies with the West. -
13 Aug 2020
Economic diplomacy: A call to syringes, not arms
Australia looks to navigate a recession, global business faces routine disruptions, and war is cheaper than a pandemic. -
12 Aug 2020
Afghanistan’s unseen Covid crisis
In a country familiar with tragedy, the pandemic is met with a dose of nonchalance. But the numbers keep going up. -
11 Aug 2020
Cambodia: Hard choices
Punishment for democratic backsliding might force Hun Sen’s government closer to China – but not without cost. -
10 Aug 2020
What we have lost: International education and public diplomacy
Entangling universities with geopolitics can mean a bad student experience has a far broader cost. -
10 Aug 2020
The most important American election ever?
Four more years of Trump would be simply catastrophic, not just for America but for the world. -
5 Aug 2020
The invisible during the pandemic
Singapore’s thousands of migrant workers make up the bulk of Covid-19 cases in the city-state. -
5 Aug 2020
The way to post-Covid recovery in the Indo-Pacific? Act now
If Australia wants to see future stability in the region, it needs to find ways to help today, not down the track. -
4 Aug 2020
Covid and crime: Twin tests for Papua New Guinea
An audacious drug smuggling attempt and a coronavirus outbreak put pressure on PNG’s police chief. -
3 Aug 2020
Melbourne or Washington, all politics is local, again
Coping with the pandemic will be a long haul, not just for cities or countries, but for the world. -
3 Aug 2020
Under the influence: Peddling conspiracy in a pandemic
Lifestyle and wellness personalities are lending conspiracy theorists a glossy sheen, and not without danger. -
31 Jul 2020
COVIDcast: Looking at China from the grassroots, with Dexter Roberts
The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world. -
30 Jul 2020
Economic diplomacy: Post-Covid trade, from decoupling to wet markets
Recent parliamentary submissions offer a window into the opportunities and risks when the country re-emerges more fully. -
30 Jul 2020
Pacific islands: The cost to tomorrow of the crisis today
The brunt of the Covid-19 recession will be borne by developing nations, where youth populations are dominant. -
29 Jul 2020
American carnage, take two
Covid-19 is a loser. Donald Trump is banking on civil unrest in America’s cities to drum up fear – and votes. -
29 Jul 2020
Europe, united in recovery – for now
A “historic” agreement has buoyed markets and marks a further, albeit temporary, step towards European federalism. -
24 Jul 2020
The world can still prosper from free trade
Trade negotiators must think that theirs is an unhappy lot. But they keep trying – as they should. -
23 Jul 2020
Vanuatu: A real test for local emergency response
With Covid-19 restrictions isolating the island country, Cyclone Harold forced a new approach to disaster management. -
17 Jul 2020
COVIDcast: Malcolm Turnbull on geopolitics and the pandemic
The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region and the world. -
16 Jul 2020
Economic diplomacy: Covid recovery, from Singapore to the EU
A shaky result for Singapore’s PAP, a jump start for global trade and a clear message for Australia's universities. -
13 Jul 2020
Philippines government driving jeepneys off the road
A modernisation plan and now Covid-19 threaten a vivid cultural symbol and the livelihoods that go with it. -
8 Jul 2020
Costly cargo: The plight of seafarers in a pandemic
Is enough being done to look after international crews aboard “flags of convenience” ships and to maintain global trade? -
6 Jul 2020
The cost of conspiracy in muddling public health messages
A Covid-19 outbreak in Victoria shows the need to counter hate speech, extremist content and misinformation online. -
3 Jul 2020
Popular Tokyo governor eyes a second term, and maybe more
Yuriko Koike’s re-election is almost certain, and with the national government out of favour, she might not stop there. -
3 Jul 2020
COVIDcast: The future of globalisation
The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region and the world. -
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. -
2 Jul 2020
Economic diplomacy: Diversification dilemmas
China, India and Australia are all dealing with the costs and risks of reshoring.