4 Aug 2023
Archipelago angst: How Indonesia and the US differ on air routes over sea lanes
UNCLOS ambiguity, again.
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3 Aug 2023
Economic diplomacy: Hard labour managing geo-economic fragmentation
Australia faces tough choices from aid to energy in a new world of government intervention in trade and industry. -
3 Aug 2023
De-dollarisation: shifting power between the US and BRICS
Will a new global reserve currency threaten the greenback's supremacy? The short answer is yes. -
3 Aug 2023
The vanishing options for Julian Assange
Extradition for the WikiLeaks founder to the United States looks likely unless Anthony Albanese can persuade Joe Biden otherwise. -
2 Aug 2023
Moscow, we have a problem
Once useful mouthpieces, Russian military bloggers reporting from the front lines in Ukraine are now making the Kremlin nervous. -
2 Aug 2023
The Fix: Long road to inspiration
An Interpreter feature about issues, resources or helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed. -
2 Aug 2023
Can PNG afford more debt?
Betting on the potential of future resource wealth has proved a risky strategy. History holds valuable economic lessons. -
1 Aug 2023
In a meaningless gesture, Myanmar’s junta cuts Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence
The leaders of the deposed democratic government shouldn’t be in jail at all. -
1 Aug 2023
China’s big gamble in Pakistan: A 10-year scorecard for CPEC
The monster project for the Belt and Road Initiative has a deeply troubled beginning. -
1 Aug 2023
Friedrich Merz and the fall of the “Berlin firewall”
To remain mainstream, Germany’s centre-right has employed all manner of tactics. Will it resort to cooperation with the populist far-right? -
1 Aug 2023
Something fishy about China’s anger over the Quad’s open ocean plans
Even illegal fishing is politicised amid growing China-US tensions. -
31 Jul 2023
“Solidarity with Russia”: North Korea cements an anti-US bloc
With friends like these, you can stand against the pressure of enemies. -
31 Jul 2023
A call for medical détente in the Pacific Islands
Pooling the expertise and resources of development partners is a win not only for regional healthcare but soft diplomacy. -
31 Jul 2023
Berlin’s economic “de-risking” model could be Europe's answer to the Taiwan question
Germany's aim is not to “decouple” from China, but to reduce its exposure to risk. And the potential winner is Taipei. -
28 Jul 2023
Solomon Islands: Invest in people and police before military
Australia and foreign partners should work with existing institutions. A new military capability could make matters worse. -
28 Jul 2023
Exploring an end game in Ukraine? Not yet
Moves towards negotiations are risky and could be interpreted by Putin as a sign of weakening Western resolve. -
28 Jul 2023
Far from the limelight, forgotten Afghans continue the fight
Accounts from Kabul hold lessons on how easily the world moves on, and some takeaways for Ukraine. -
27 Jul 2023
Is Hun Sen really stepping down?
After dominating Cambodia for so long, he will continue to dictate politics even after a handover to son Hun Manet. -
27 Jul 2023
Qin Gang has come and gone, but US-China drama is stuck on repeat
The sudden and surprising demise of China’s foreign minister won’t change the systemic tensions in the relationship. -
27 Jul 2023
An agenda for the AUSMIN talks
Australia should spend less time worrying about American strength – and more time thinking about its resolve. -
27 Jul 2023
Nuclear weapons: “Oppenheimer” won’t make a difference, but Australia can
The movie missed a chance to galvanise a renewed campaign, to better protect against existential danger than rely on sheer dumb luck. -
26 Jul 2023
Why the Australian Voice referendum matters globally
Close friends will be watching for an outcome that lives up to the values for which the country professes to stand. -
26 Jul 2023
It’s no surprise Australia shrugged off China’s campaign of trade coercion
New modelling confirms an early Lowy Institute conclusion that Beijing’s bluster would cause minimal economic damage. -
26 Jul 2023
The Fix: Chipping in
In this new Interpreter feature, we’re inviting short observations about issues or resources that might otherwise be missed. -
26 Jul 2023
A return to old-school mercantilism?
Suspicion and economic competition are forcing states back in time, with protectionism and self-sufficiency the new norm. -
25 Jul 2023
Cluster munitions: A necessary defensive strategy for Ukraine
It is Russia, not Ukraine, abusing international principles. The law must not obstruct Ukraine to fight back. -
25 Jul 2023
Beyond “the Brisbane Line”: Why Queensland is crucial to Australia’s national security
The state-federal divisions can’t stand in the way of a unified approach. -
25 Jul 2023
What is Australia’s role in supporting Timor-Leste?
Health and education are where Canberra can help Dili the most. But language barriers require thinking outside the box. -
24 Jul 2023
Understanding “loss and damage” from climate change across the Indo-Pacific
A concept that will become ever more familiar – in the courts, too – with more action needed to avoid irreversible consequences of climate change. -
24 Jul 2023
Opportunity lost with the Commonwealth Games
With alternative cities jumping at the chance to host the orphaned Games, has Victoria scored an own goal? -
24 Jul 2023
Forget Washington, Pyongyang’s most important target has always been Beijing
Kim Jong-un’s charm offensive with Donald Trump may have yielded few results. Not so his efforts with Xi Jinping. -
21 Jul 2023
Nobody ever teaches anyone how to be a Minister
At the heart of Australia’s Westminster democracy is an eclectic, eccentric, DIY political system. -
21 Jul 2023
Who leads the world as longest in charge of their country?
Put together a list and you can start to see a pattern. -
21 Jul 2023
Indonesia’s new capital of power can’t afford the tangled wires of Jakarta
Look up and live takes on a new urgency in the digital age. -
20 Jul 2023
The world needs a new plan to deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan
Saving lives is always complicated by politics. -
20 Jul 2023
Economic diplomacy: Japan’s message in a gas bottle
More than hot air, economics is the essence of national security in Australia’s resource deficient closest Asian partner. -
20 Jul 2023
The north’s defence of Australia
Northern Australia has long been viewed as a strategic vulnerability. The latest Defence review socialises a different idea. -
19 Jul 2023
Why China tripled its heavy truck shipments to Central Asia: Unravelling the influence of Russia’s war in Ukraine
A sharp spike in overall exports to the region appears to provide Beijing a pathway to indirectly support the Kremlin’s war effort. -
19 Jul 2023
Why the Black Sea Grain Initiative must be restored
The collapse of a deal integral to world food security will imperil millions of lives. -
19 Jul 2023
No playing games with Australia’s reputation
The Commonwealth Games – like its diplomatic counterpart – belongs to a different age. -
19 Jul 2023
The Fix: Beauty and bravery
In this new Interpreter feature, we’re inviting short observations about issues or resources that might otherwise be missed. -
19 Jul 2023
What Norway might learn from Nauru after a massive phosphate find
A handful of countries meet demand for an essential fertiliser ingredient – and geopolitical competition complicates the equation. -
18 Jul 2023
Regulating artificial intelligence: How the EU just got us closer
In these times of high-tech angst, a new draft Act passed in the European Parliament sets the scene for the future of AI. -
18 Jul 2023
Has history left Aung San Suu Kyi behind?
She may be imprisoned and politically weakened, but the former leader of Myanmar remains a potent symbol of power. -
18 Jul 2023
A Pacific power play could prove the Quad’s relevance
Off-grid households across the region are desperate for electricity that doesn’t come with (China's) strings attached. -
17 Jul 2023
It might be plastic fantastic, but Barbie lends cartoonish credibility to China’s nine-dash line
Barbie does her dash with Vietnam, showing how maps have meaning. -
17 Jul 2023
The cost-benefit of turning “dirty” shipping clean
The engines of global trade pump out enormous amounts of carbon and vulnerable Pacific islands are fighting for a change. -
17 Jul 2023
The emergence of “collective strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan
With a change in language, has Washington over-promised on its allies’ appetite for conflict with China? -
14 Jul 2023
Setting the standard: An important step on the path to net zero emissions
A little-known international body has just helped set a global baseline for sustainability reporting. -
14 Jul 2023
Despite the excitement, India’s South China Sea policy remains unchanged
Backing the Philippines over the 2016 arbitration award doesn’t mean India is about to abandon caution in efforts to balance China.