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  • 18 Apr 2022
    • Timor-Leste

    The not-so-hidden contest behind Timor-Leste’s presidential election

    Parker Novak
    On the ballot it’s Guterres versus Horta, but also Gusmão versus Alkatiri continuing their post-independence feud.
  • 15 Apr 2022
    • Maritime Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • Vietnam

    Taming troubled waters

    Lai Thai Binh
    Looking from Vietnam, multi-layer joint efforts to ensure maritime security are welcome in the South China Sea.
  • 15 Apr 2022
    • Administration

    We’re taking a break

    The Interpreter
    Watch out for a couple of articles before the Easter bunny arrives. We’ll then be eating chocolate eggs until Tuesday.
  • 14 Apr 2022
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Bucha: Capturing the horror

    Lauren Williams
    The story of a Russian massacre in the Ukraine town needed to be told. And like all images, context is important.
  • 14 Apr 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Cyber Security
    • Australia's Defence Challenges

    Australian cyber: What’s “Redspice” for?

    Ben Scott
    Canberra should explain why Australia needs a larger offensive cyber capability and how it will be used.
  • 14 Apr 2022
    • Myanmar

    The problem with postcards from Myanmar

    JJ Rose
    Borders are opening to welcome back tourists. But it’s not just Covid that poses a risk.
  • 13 Apr 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    Time to think big on the future of Australian diplomacy

    Hugh Piper
    A good start would put the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the centre of decision-making and coordination.
  • 13 Apr 2022
    • Maritime Security
    • China
    • International law

    Law of the sea: A contested watershed ruling

    Clive Schofield
    The 2016 arbitral award on the South China Sea has changed the dynamics of maritime disputes.
  • 13 Apr 2022
    • Public Opinion
    • North Korea
    • South Korea

    Bellicose or bluster? How South Koreans see the North’s nuclear threat

    Timothy S. Rich , Brooklind Norman , Josie Coyle
    The policy of a new president in Seoul depends not only on Pyongyang but also South Korean public perceptions.
  • 12 Apr 2022
    • Sustainability
    • Myanmar
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Laos

    How the Mekong River Commission ignores reality

    Milton Osborne
    Nothing is worth celebrating in how a once mighty wild river has been cruelly tamed.
  • 12 Apr 2022
    • Maritime Security
    • China
    • Vietnam
    • Philippines
    • Malaysia

    China’s nine-dash line proves stranger than fiction

    Bec Strating
    How Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea have crept imperceptibly into global popular culture.
  • 11 Apr 2022
    • Australia

    Does Australia have too many elections?

    Daniel Flitton
    Governments might worry about short-term political horizons. But have faith the public can judge the long-term risks.
  • 11 Apr 2022
    • Maritime Security
    • Southeast Asia

    Thinking outside the box on Southeast Asian maritime security

    Collin Koh
    The pandemic brought about an observable increase in transnational crimes – smuggling, piracy and trafficking.
  • 11 Apr 2022
    • India
    • Indonesia

    Can Shah Rukh Khan help India “Act East”?

    Teesta Prakash
    Bollywood has star power, even in Indonesia, as the Lowy Poll revealed. It’s time to capitalise on the connection.
  • 8 Apr 2022
    • Asean
    • United Kingdom

    Britain in Southeast Asia: How to keep old friends newly engaged

    Huong Le Thu
    Are there too many Indo-Pacific inputs right now from various European actors, individually and collectively?
  • 8 Apr 2022
    • India
    • Japan

    How Japan can help nudge India away from Russia

    Ryosuke Hanada
    India’s biggest security headache remains a belligerent China, and Japan should look to help ease this challenge.
  • 8 Apr 2022
    • Maritime Security

    Shore thing: climate change and maritime security intrinsically linked

    Kate Clayton
    Rising sea levels in Southeast Asia and the Pacific mean collaboration on maritime order is essential.
  • 7 Apr 2022
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australian Foreign Aid
    • Chinese Foreign Aid
    • Australia
    • China

    Economic diplomacy: Priorities shift amid a budget aid boost

    Greg Earl
    The IMF has given Chinese spending a tick as Australia tries to muscle up in the Pacific.
  • 7 Apr 2022
    • Public Opinion
    • Australia

    Five key findings from the Being Chinese in Australia survey

    Natasha Kassam , Jennifer Hsu
    The latest Lowy survey of Chinese-Australians captures views on belonging, trust, strategic competition, Covid and more.
  • 7 Apr 2022
    • Russia
    • Türkiye
    • Ukraine

    Turkey plays the dance of the go-betweens in Ukraine war

    Marcus Colla
    Ankara is perfectly placed to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow, and recoup some credibility with NATO at the same time.
  • 6 Apr 2022
    • United Nations
    • China
    • Human rights

    The mysterious missing UN report on human rights abuses in Xinjiang

    Mercedes Page
    Months of stalling over the release of a long-completed investigation raises suspicions about China’s pressure tactics.
  • 6 Apr 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • International law

    Protecting law and order at sea means educating people on their rights

    Jay Batongbacal
    Broad understanding about the need to balance and compromise interests will strengthen the system of international law.
  • 6 Apr 2022
    • Indonesia

    Democracy or dynasty? Megawati delivers Jokowi a clip

    Johannes Nugroho
    Talk of extending the Indonesian president’s tenure has earned a revealing rebuke from his political patron.
  • 5 Apr 2022
    • Maritime Security
    • China's Military
    • India's Navy
    • Australian Navy

    Of maritime security and a rules-based order

    Abhijit Singh
    All good in theory, but the operational logistics of multinational cooperation at sea will take more than narratives.
  • 5 Apr 2022
    • Philippines

    Bongbong Marcos closes in on the Philippines presidency

    Andrea Chloe Wong
    A significant polling lead for the late dictator’s son reveals a political resurrection and a fragile democracy.
  • 5 Apr 2022
    • Asia

    Why liberalism has few friends in Asia

    John Keane
    The damage inflicted on the region by European imperialism was not forgotten – a backlash that continues to the present.
  • 4 Apr 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Southeast Asia

    Cause and effect: The right security architecture for the Indo-Pacific

    Ian Storey
    Limitations in the established rules and forums have led the region to innovate.
  • 4 Apr 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • India
    • United Kingdom

    AUKUS can be a good platform for cooperation with India

    David Brewster
    And it wouldn’t be the first time the partners had worked together, either.
  • 1 Apr 2022
    • South China Sea
    • International law

    “Lawfare” in the South China Sea disputes

    Tara Davenport
    Legal mechanisms, while not definitive, have compelled the claimants to examine their position and communicate them.
  • 1 Apr 2022
    • Asia
    • New Voices

    Youth politics in East and Southeast Asia

    Adhiraaj Anand
    Traditional parties are up against an unstoppable force of young activists set to shape democracy in the region.
  • 1 Apr 2022
    • Cyber Warfare
    • Cyber Security
    • Russia
    • Technology
    • Ukraine

    Ukraine: This isn’t the information war you were looking for

    Lesley Seebeck
    But watch a change in tempo for cyber operations as the on-the-ground military situation trends towards stalemate.
  • 31 Mar 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Maritime Security

    Order at sea: Southeast Asia’s maritime security

    Geoffrey Till
    Regional capacity building and the maintenance of good order in its waters are vital for the region’s ongoing stability.
  • 31 Mar 2022
    • Diplomacy
    • China
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    War represents a failure of diplomacy. It pays to read past page one.

    Kerry Brown
    I hope Ukraine’s ambassador enjoyed reading my book in the Security Council. Here’s the message I wanted to send.
  • 31 Mar 2022
    • China
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomon Islands asserts its sovereignty – with China and the West

    Tarcisius Kabutaulaka
    The danger is geopolitical competition being appropriated by local actors on both sides of local political tensions.
  • 30 Mar 2022
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia

    A silver lining to DFAT’s budgetary woes

    Mercedes Page
    A funding boost to diplomacy won’t instantly lift Australia’s influence. Better to think hard on what the country needs.
  • 30 Mar 2022
    • Afghanistan
    • Central Asia
    • Russia

    Russia’s effort to escape diplomatic isolation

    Ed Wyatt
    Moscow may turn to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation in Central Asia to prove its regional standing is intact.
  • 30 Mar 2022
    • North Korea
    • South Korea

    Why now? The timing of North Korea’s ICBM test

    Khang Vu
    History has an alarming habit of repeating on the Korean peninsula.
  • 29 Mar 2022
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Migration

    Changing our view of Pacific visas

    Jessica Collins
    Australia’s claims to be part of the “Pacific family” would be helped by more migration options – especially for women.
  • 29 Mar 2022
    • India
    • Maldives

    India consolidates its role in southern Maldives

    David Brewster
    But Australia and other international partners have a role, too.
  • 29 Mar 2022
    • International Relations

    Ukraine suffers under realism’s Pyrrhic victory

    Mark Beeson
    Military muscle flexing, deterrence policies and sanctions against Russia mask much bigger existential problems.
  • 28 Mar 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    PNG’s 2022 election takes shape

    Maholopa Laveil
    Parochial issues tend to dominate voter choices. But a pandemic and economy stress could make for restless elections.
  • 28 Mar 2022
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Time and troops in finite supply for Russia’s army in Ukraine

    Peter Layton
    Forced to call in conscripts, reservists and foreign fighters, Putin’s miscalculation is beginning to bite.
  • 28 Mar 2022
    • Philippines

    How the Marcos family could rule again in the Philippines

    Adele Webb
    In a country where the average age is 25, has collective memory been washed of the nation’s iron-fisted kleptocrat?
  • 25 Mar 2022
    • Australia
    • China
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomons: Putting a draft security deal with China in local context

    Derek Gwali Futaiasi
    Honiara’s negotiations with Beijing may raise alarm but it should not come as a surprise to Canberra.
  • 25 Mar 2022
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Vietnam
    • Philippines
    • Malaysia

    Stiffening the ASEAN spine in the South China Sea

    Arrizal Jaknanihan
    Any “minilateral” grouping among Southeast Asian nations must be mindful of its internal contradictions.
  • 25 Mar 2022
    • Asean
    • Australia and Asia
    • Human rights

    What counts for victims of trafficking?

    Cate Sumner
    Sharing data is key to combatting human rights abuses against vulnerable groups from the ASEAN region.
  • 25 Mar 2022
    • Global Issues
    • Climate change

    The logistical challenge of responding to disaster

    Lina Gong
    Climate change will not only make for more frequent emergencies – it will change how and from where to provide relief.
  • 24 Mar 2022
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    Madeleine Albright: “I have come a long way, so I must be frank”

    Daniel Flitton
    The first woman to serve as US Secretary of State also inspired the first woman to be Australia’s Foreign Minister.
  • 24 Mar 2022
    • Global Economy
    • United States
    • IMF
    • Russia
    • Technology
    • Ukraine

    Economic diplomacy: Cryptocurrency (quietly) joins a new world order

    Greg Earl
    From Bitcoin to the greenback, beyond Ukraine a battle is also underway in global finance.
  • 24 Mar 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    Can states have strategic personalities?

    Ian Hall , Renee Jeffery
    Understanding Australian traits and behaviours could explain how the country works with others – and how it’s perceived.
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