19 Jan 2024
The window (shade) seat
Watching the world go by from 40,000 feet is more than it’s cracked up to be.
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18 Jan 2024
Economic diplomacy: To market, to market, with China
New Cabinet papers reveal the origins of trade pragmatism and the Coalition’s embrace of communism with market characteristics. -
18 Jan 2024
Nauru’s diplomatic switch to China – the rising stakes in Pacific geopolitics
Australia is a player at the table but Pacific nations themselves hold the most important cards. -
18 Jan 2024
Drought and war hit the choke points
Trade through the Panama and Suez canals is slowing. Inevitably, costs are passed on. -
17 Jan 2024
Australia and Africa: Economic diplomacy is out of sync with investment ties
While other partners are taking care of business, Australia lacks the trade support it needs to thrive. -
17 Jan 2024
Indonesia’s presidential frontrunner falters in debate but could win election
Prabowo Subianto was tested in an area where he should be commanding – defence and international affairs. -
17 Jan 2024
Three years on from the coup, what could help Myanmar’s opposition movement?
A range of practical measures could be taken. But the people of Myanmar seem destined to fend for themselves. -
16 Jan 2024
New Caledonia: France’s threat to impose change unilaterally weakened
A French State Council decision, quietly released just after Christmas, has set back Paris’ timetable. -
16 Jan 2024
Global economic prospects are the worst in decades but investing in the future could be the answer
The World Bank reports on why global growth and poverty reduction are slowing but points to investment as a way forward. -
16 Jan 2024
AI’s Oppenheimer moment: Establishing regulations
Nuclear arms control is only one area that needs to catch up in the AI age. -
15 Jan 2024
A new year, same old story on the Korean Peninsula in 2024
Kim Jong-un’s recent rhetoric reflects the status quo more than a radical departure. -
15 Jan 2024
Vietnam’s pivot
In navigating the US-China power play in Southeast Asia, Vietnam seem to have the right moves. -
15 Jan 2024
Manager of the internet, controller of the world?
Power is much more than GDP and tank numbers. But the US monopoly on the digital age is eroding. -
12 Jan 2024
An airliner with Chinese characteristics
The country’s new homegrown narrow-body jet is a diplomatic ace up Xi Jinping's sleeve. -
11 Jan 2024
By default not design: the end of the asylum consensus
Ever since Australia adopted the “Pacific Solution”, norm busting has become the norm. -
10 Jan 2024
“An awkward photo‑op”: Japan’s persistent gender problem
A summit blunder begs the question of how women can fight for equality when they’re not even at the table. -
9 Jan 2024
Navigating the strange minilateralverse of madness
The vogue has seen a boom of small Indo-Pacific gatherings, but a hard look is needed to decide which are sustainable. -
8 Jan 2024
Five ideas from Allan Gyngell for a better foreign policy
Gyngell saw “national interest” as a matter for democratic discussion, always valuing the search for solutions. -
5 Jan 2024
Multilateral cooperation can improve South Asia’s water woes
Transparency will help foster trust, which can lead to a common river management framework for the benefit of all. -
3 Jan 2024
Why do we travel to unsettling places?
Whether the DMZ or sites of historic atrocities, place carries a connection to remind us of the precariousness of life. -
2 Jan 2024
Vietnam’s challenge to wean off coal
Fossil fuels have driven rapid growth but the country has pledged – with global help – to be carbon neutral by 2050. -
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29 Dec 2023
Keeping languages alive in the family
How many Australians can speak one of Papua New Guinea’s many Indigenous languages – even those who work there? -
28 Dec 2023
Lithium, lightest metal on earth, carries heavy geopolitical weight
Instead of a source of great tech power competition, lithium should be key to a collective fight against climate change. -
27 Dec 2023
Power in Asia: Six surprising facts
Following the launch of the 2023 Asia Power Index, the authors dig into data that reveals how power is shifting in Asia. -
25 Dec 2023
Where is that cheeky elf? Holiday time in Australia
Monday and Tuesday are public holidays in Australia for Christmas and Boxing Day. -
22 Dec 2023
Plot claims expose India-US need a better mutual understanding
Delhi needs to reach out to constituencies outside the policy circles in Washington. -
22 Dec 2023
Bangladesh: An election like no other
Rather than settling a contest, the upcoming poll could make matters worse. -
22 Dec 2023
Why did PNG sign a Defence Cooperation Agreement with the US?
For Port Moresby, this deal is mainly about modernising PNG’s Defence Force – not a geopolitical ploy. -
22 Dec 2023
Your Top 10 on The Interpreter in 2023
The most-read articles across the year as we head for a break. Publishing resumes 15 January. -
21 Dec 2023
A jurisdiction over the high seas
Australia will be a key player in the new agreement governing the globe’s largest natural habitat. -
21 Dec 2023
Manila’s killing fields: Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on the poor
It’s best to not only take populists seriously, but also literally, especially when they threaten mass murder. -
21 Dec 2023
The changing face of Thai nationalism today
Over the last century, Thailand has swung between two forms of nationalism – one focused on the monarchy, the other on the people. -
21 Dec 2023
Australia must work with Bangladesh to stop the Rohingya boats
Extra aid is welcome. The next task is to build Bangladesh’s capabilities. -
20 Dec 2023
Albanese’s foreign policy speech: “Boring” sounds just right
Regular updates about Australia’s position in the world do the public a great service. -
20 Dec 2023
The great offshore decommissioning
More than 70 per cent of the world’s oil and gas production comes via ageing infrastructure rapidly approaching an economic limit. -
20 Dec 2023
US-India relations are shaken but not shattered
An alleged plot by an Indian official to assassinate an American is a gut punch – but strategic choices will prevail. -
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19 Dec 2023
Australia–PNG security agreement: A revamp for Pacific partnerships
A technical perspective into the intended operation of the bilateral security deal between the close neighbours. -
19 Dec 2023
Decoding good intelligence
Transparency – in the sense of a good public understanding of the role and value of intelligence – is essential to support. -
19 Dec 2023
Putin’s confidence heading into 2024
In the Russian leader’s world, friends are returning and with it the whiff of success. -
18 Dec 2023
How Central Asia became a key region for the West
An crucial artery for trade also holds many of the natural resources coveted in the modern age. -
18 Dec 2023
Ukraine’s game of thrones
It’s not surprising that political tensions are playing out at home amid frustration over progress in the war. -
18 Dec 2023
Postcard from Mayotte
A French Indian Ocean territory that desperately wants to stay that way. -
15 Dec 2023
Germany’s digital dilemma
The European powerhouse is struggling to embrace all the opportunities of the information age. -
15 Dec 2023
The limits of Thailand’s populist politics
The new government is treading a well-worn path with cash hand-outs and other appeals to voters – only many wanted a different approach. -
15 Dec 2023
Gains, pains, and dubious claims from the Pacific Labour Mobility Survey
The large-scale survey produced limited data on complex issues and is no substitute for culturally appropriate social research. -
14 Dec 2023
Not doom, but get used to a world economy with extended gloom
The drivers of global economic growth have changed markedly from the experience over the past 30-40 years. -
14 Dec 2023
Shifting Quad relief operations from theory to practice
A relief operation exercise would allow the Quad partners to draw in other countries and showcase a regional good. -
14 Dec 2023
Australia needs an open-source intelligence agency
Done right, this reform could also disrupt the culture of excessive secrecy.