9 Feb 2022
Delivering promises will show steel in Quad
Presidents Xi and Putin make a deliberate show of solidarity, but Quad partners should focus on boosting defence ties.
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9 Feb 2022
Mauritius sets sail to Chagos
The UK faces a lose-lose situation as demonstrators put disputed Indian Ocean archipelago in the spotlight. -
9 Feb 2022
A foreign policy cheat sheet for South Korea’s presidential election
Liberal and conservative candidates bring distinct traits to office. But after polling day, the shackles could come off. -
8 Feb 2022
The fallout from Tonga’s volcano goes deeper than the ashes
Local women are especially vulnerable following a disaster that compounds the challenges of the pandemic. -
8 Feb 2022
Getting ready for Trump as President 47
In order to adjust to an unpredictable United States, Canberra needs new habits. -
7 Feb 2022
Defining Biden
By asking “What do Republicans stand for?” the president can bring his own domestic and foreign priorities into focus. -
7 Feb 2022
Philippine elections and the politics behind it
Filipino voters go to the polls to choose who will govern them but not necessarily how they will be governed. -
4 Feb 2022
Olympics not the only games this year
Beijing boycotts are just the latest in a long line of sports and politics match plays. -
3 Feb 2022
Navigating the limits in the South China Sea
A new US report casts doubt on the legality of Chinese maritime claims by also critically examining Australian practice. -
3 Feb 2022
Can the new German foreign minister make a difference?
Calls for a fresh approach from Berlin amid Russia-Ukraine tensions. -
2 Feb 2022
India’s northeast: An integral piece of the puzzle
Ongoing unrest in the country’s border regions has forced a rethink on security challenges and self-determination. -
2 Feb 2022
How China views “strategic competition” with the United States
Contrasting official readouts of the recent Biden-Xi summit offer an insight in Beijing’s attitudes on world order. -
1 Feb 2022
Joining the “Barty party” in foreign and defence policy
If Australia wants a role model for how to present itself to the world, the tennis champ embodies humility and grit. -
1 Feb 2022
How to speak green: Europe’s new energy taxonomy
A stoush about sustainable energy criteria reveals tensions, anxieties – and increasing French influence. -
1 Feb 2022
Oslo talks expose the West’s Taliban dilemma
Trusting the fundamentalists to deliver aid would mean ignoring a record of past promises to respect rights. -
31 Jan 2022
Why Ukraine and Russia can’t agree on autonomy for the Donbas
Moscow and Kyiv fundamentally disagree on the provisions of the only peace plan they have. -
31 Jan 2022
ASEAN and Myanmar: No sign of progress
Despite aiming to promote regional stability, the grouping has struggled to find consensus after the coup in Naypyidaw. -
31 Jan 2022
China’s “common prosperity” is a Catch-22
A phenomenal housing glut in the Chinese market is eroding the country’s productivity and economic future. -
28 Jan 2022
Iran banks on Beijing and Moscow, inviting painful historic parallels
A “Look East” policy favoured by hardliners in Tehran appears out of step with local sentiment and past experience. -
28 Jan 2022
Living with a feared China and Russian-built chaos
Giving way in the face of belligerence won’t make it stop – but nor does aggression portend doom and major war. -
27 Jan 2022
Bitcoin vs the IMF, and other great expectations
A roundup of recent economic events foreshadows a year of flux and reinvention, from Europe to the Pacific. -
27 Jan 2022
Power plays: the growing competition to fuel energy transitions
Serbia’s decision to cancel a lithium mine in the face of environmental outcry underscores a modern economic challenge. -
27 Jan 2022
Will the EU step up to secure rules-based Indo-Pacific trade?
The rivalry with China is systemic and heft is needed to anchor market-orientated trade. -
26 Jan 2022
Indonesia standing between great powers
Non-alignment has long defined Jakarta’s approach in the world. Neither China’s threats or US pledges will change that. -
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25 Jan 2022
AUKMIN shows the UK is a world away from Australia
London’s global focus on malign authoritarian actors makes clear thinking and prioritisation impossible. -
25 Jan 2022
Solomon Islands: cops bearing gifts
Australia and China offer the archipelago nation a grab bag of policing options that often miss the mark. -
25 Jan 2022
China’s new reality
Forget geopolitics and military muscle flexing. Reality TV is where Beijing and Taipei can put aside their differences. -
24 Jan 2022
Timor-Leste: comebacks and contests ahead of presidential elections
Jose Ramos-Horta hopes to win back his old job – Xanana Gusmão, too – while Fretilin’s own leadership question looms. -
24 Jan 2022
The D10 is dead, long live the … Network of Liberty?
Not explicitly focussing on a grouping of democracies is smart and includes more countries engaged in pushback on China. -
24 Jan 2022
Could minilateralism work in the South China Sea?
Jakarta’s ambitions for a maritime alliance with its ASEAN neighbours is the right response to intimidation from China. -
21 Jan 2022
2022 is not 2014: What holds back Russia from Ukraine
Russia’s leadership is alert to the changed military circumstances even while it clings to historic ambitions. -
21 Jan 2022
Australia–Japan defence cooperation in the grey zone
Clever use of deterrence techniques, air defence zones and artificial intelligence are critical for the military allies. -
20 Jan 2022
A test of Australia’s place in the world
For a sporting nation, why doesn’t competition with the region hold more appeal? -
20 Jan 2022
Cold front: Antarctica and its military future
Repurposing scientific equipment on the frozen continent is possible but would give little military advantage. -
19 Jan 2022
Japan’s low-tech world
A glacial move towards digitalisation has left much of the country’s workforce and public servces in the last century. -
19 Jan 2022
Mongolia suffers under China’s zero Covid policy
Small and landlocked, the Central Asian nation struggles to balance its economy with essential public health measures. -
18 Jan 2022
Australia has a solution to Indonesia’s soaring food prices
As Indonesia takes the G20 presidency solving the country’s food security crisis should be top of the agenda. -
18 Jan 2022
Bang for buck: Getting the most out of Pacific Islander remittances
Cash sent by family abroad is essential for local economies but doesn’t come cheap. -
17 Jan 2022
South Korea’s embrace of Australia goes beyond China
Seoul confronts a panoply of regional challenges – not least that from the other big trading partner in Asia. -
17 Jan 2022
Who cares about the Australia-China relationship?
A public understanding of the friction between Canberra and Beijing must transcend party politics. -
14 Jan 2022
Novak Djokovic – a symbol for anti-vaxxers?
The ruling to deport the tennis ace could hamper his career but transform him into a different type of star. -
14 Jan 2022
Australia should build its green infrastructure presence
The region is taking an increasingly dim view of efforts seeking to protect the fossil fuel trade. -
14 Jan 2022
Whoever controls the spice, controls the universe
From missile guidance systems to electric car batteries, China’s domination of rare earths has global implications. -
13 Jan 2022
The geopolitics of aiding the Taliban’s Afghanistan
Humanitarian assistance must be disentangled from concepts of political legitimacy in the country’s unfolding crisis. -
13 Jan 2022
Peace and security are not the same thing
Adding counter-terrorism tasks to UN peacekeeping mandates will likely make an already difficult job much harder. -
12 Jan 2022
The power of mercy and the death penalty in PNG
The country’s capital punishment laws need a reset, but there are better alternatives than clemency. -
12 Jan 2022
History lessons from “The Great Crash”?
Optimists always get more airplay than spoilsports predicting an end to the good times. But hindsight tells all. -
11 Jan 2022
When no shots are heard around the world
The saga of Novak Djokovic’s visa has galvanised global attention – with a result that still hangs in the balance. -
11 Jan 2022
Japan and Australia ties blossom
A new defence pact marks a stronger partnership for countries driven together by shared values and regional dynamics.