4 Mar 2022
Back in the USSR – surprises in the Russia-Ukraine conflict
It’d be funny, if it wasn’t so deadly serious.
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3 Mar 2022
Sanctions bite – but how dangerously?
As long as Russian energy revenues continue to flow, Moscow will retain a critical financial lifeline. -
3 Mar 2022
Australia and the crisis in Europe: threats and opportunities
A global contest of values and interests – and sharply divergent visions of order - is now dramatically intensified. -
3 Mar 2022
Ukraine: Winning online matters less on the ground
The information battle has seen the Kremlin upstaged – so far. Early optimism needs to be tempered. -
3 Mar 2022
The half-hour that fundamentally split Germany from Russia
A massive boost to arms spending by Berlin, once unthinkable, is suddenly policy as the Ukraine crisis deepens. -
2 Mar 2022
How long will Europe’s generosity towards Ukraine’s refugees last?
With potentially five million people displaced, the semantics of temporary protection vs refugee status become critical. -
2 Mar 2022
Australia begins to step it up in the northeast Indian Ocean
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives are keen in engage and will help plug a gap in Australia’s Indo Pacific strategy. -
2 Mar 2022
Is India’s row over hijabs about optics – or opportunity?
Teenagers in a small southern state test the country’s tradition of religious pluralism. -
1 Mar 2022
Ukraine: what are Putin’s options now?
Deluded by a belief he would win quickly and cleanly, Putin must now weigh the pros and cons for his next steps. -
1 Mar 2022
What if Trump wins again?
It would be folly to ignore the threat to US democracy. Australia needs to prepare against the possibility. -
1 Mar 2022
Will cryptocurrency allow Russia to bust sanctions?
Despite the transparency of blockchain-based finance, Moscow is working the dark reaches of the web to move money. -
1 Mar 2022
Russia is losing the information war
Ukraine’s open approach is a stark contrast to the Kremlin’s secrecy around its invasion. -
28 Feb 2022
Russia’s war will hasten the drive for clean energy security
Wind and solar is not only zero-emissions – it’s local. And that will cut Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and oil. -
28 Feb 2022
Putin’s hubris foreshadows tragedy – for Ukrainians and Russians alike
The invasion will drive Ukrainians even closer to Europe and bind the NATO alliance with a greater purpose. -
28 Feb 2022
Australia was quick to sanction Moscow. Why not Myanmar?
It was right to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But that’s different to military aggression much closer to home. -
25 Feb 2022
Keeping Australian uranium out of Russian hands – and bombs
After MH17 was shot down the Abbott government banned yellowcake sales to Russia. But then struck a deal with Ukraine… -
25 Feb 2022
China’s grey zone tactics amount to far more than just laser games
A Chinese warship’s use of a laser on an Australian surveillance plane was no accident but purposeful aggression. -
25 Feb 2022
Why was it left to Kenya to speak up for multilateralism?
Kenya’s UN envoy Martin Kimani was a sensation at an emergency Security Council session—with a message for all nations. -
24 Feb 2022
Economic diplomacy: Slow dividends for Australia from ASEAN spending
Amid the Ukraine sanctions showdown, an Indian trade deal looms as a pre-election win for the Morrison government. -
24 Feb 2022
China and the Ukraine crisis
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine presents the biggest diplomatic challenge the PRC has faced since the financial crisis. -
24 Feb 2022
The election for the future of the internet
A battle for authoritarian control of the internet is underway at the most important UN body you’ve never heard of. -
24 Feb 2022
Micronesia stays in the Pacific Islands Forum fold – for now
But Australia faces its own test amid tensions over leadership of the regional grouping. -
23 Feb 2022
Russia-Ukraine: Lessons for Australia’s defence
Great powers seek spheres of influence – but there are limits. -
23 Feb 2022
It’s a mistake to allow Myanmar’s junta to appear in Rohingya case
Accepting military representatives in the genocide defence serves to lend the coup an undeserved legitimacy. -
23 Feb 2022
Transforming Australian diplomacy for climate leadership
Practical measures will foster enduring regional ties beyond the immediate challenge of responding to global warming. -
22 Feb 2022
Putin seeks to rewrite history
The Russian leader wants to turn the preferred language of sovereignty and governance back on the West. -
22 Feb 2022
A global Australia needs to be a confident Australia
As a nation, we need to probe the boundaries and content of what passes for “received wisdom”. -
22 Feb 2022
Damage limitation and US nuclear strategy
In an atomic world, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. -
21 Feb 2022
Courting change for Indonesia’s invisible brides
The country’s marriage statistics obscure a significant rise in unregistered unions involving children and adolescents. -
21 Feb 2022
Putin’s choice
It’s a wintry outlook for Russia/NATO relations, over Ukraine and beyond. -
21 Feb 2022
Is bipartisanship on national security a good thing?
The current era requires patient diplomacy and policy that survives a short election cycle. But not without debate. -
18 Feb 2022
A few remarkable wins for Pacific women in local politics
But what is far too often the exception should become the norm. -
18 Feb 2022
Not so quiet on the Southern Front
Australia faces stiff geopolitical competition in Antarctica, and it’s not just China and Russia with eyes on the prize. -
17 Feb 2022
Okinawa’s vocal anti-US military base movement
Environmental damage and gendered violence are flashpoints on the tiny island dominated by US troops. -
17 Feb 2022
Myanmar’s military numbers
Simply comparing the estimated number of combatants on the two sides is not a valid basis to assess combat capabilities. -
17 Feb 2022
The Pacific Islands become collateral damage on drug superhighway
Australia and New Zealand must address the fallout from an appetite for illicit drugs. The Pacific is relying on it. -
16 Feb 2022
Joe Biden’s new Indo-Pacific Strategy: A view from Southeast Asia
Rather than trying to push ASEAN to confront China, the White House has made an important gesture for unity. -
16 Feb 2022
Beyond the Quad: Fostering stronger India-Australia ties
A common concern about China cannot be the lone factor for enduring engagement. -
16 Feb 2022
Handle with care: China’s economic engagement in Myanmar
Beijing’s state-driven businesses have learned to adapt and adopt in the shadow of democratic openings and coups d’état. -
15 Feb 2022
Indonesia makes a big defence statement
Canberra should look beyond the Quad and to its own backyard for an all-weather strategic friend. -
15 Feb 2022
Asia’s Covid waste dilemma
Southeast Asia is taking the brunt of pandemic-generated waste in a looming environmental headache for the region. -
14 Feb 2022
The curious case of Blenheim Reef
A coral reef in the middle of the Indian Ocean, owned by no-one, is fast becoming a focus of international controversy. -
14 Feb 2022
Military operations in a more transparent world
Russia’s Ukraine build-up is the latest example of how some information can no longer be kept secret. -
14 Feb 2022
Kazakhstan’s longtime “leader” is out, but the regime he built remains
President Toqayev has promised a “New Kazakhstan”, but democracy isn’t on the table. -
11 Feb 2022
Solomon Islands: A weak nation ravaged by a health crisis
A Covid-19 outbreak so soon after community unrest has left state institutions playing a catch-up game. -
11 Feb 2022
Europe can’t pass the buck on Ukraine
Russia is pursuing an aggressive strategy of incrementalism and it carries dangers for Australia’s region, too. -
11 Feb 2022
Kick-starting America’s Pacific diplomacy
Trying to force a “choice” with China would be a mistake. But US can win plenty of good will living up to its promises. -
10 Feb 2022
Economic diplomacy: Mission critical as Australia’s own BRI gains pace
Australia’s new embrace of South Korea in minerals, defence, and trade is well-timed as the country catches up to Japan. -
10 Feb 2022
Will Australia use its amended sanctions act against Myanmar?
Coordinated international pressure on the coup leaders is urgently needed to stave off a growing humanitarian crisis. -
10 Feb 2022
US monetary policy: the ripple effect
A new book probes the inner workings – and functional failures – of America’s enigmatic central banking system.