11 Jan 2022
Fear, loathing and infighting in Kazakhstan
Media blackouts and influence from the Kremlin are stifling anti-government protests in the Central Asian republic.
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11 Jan 2022
Kip-to-currency?
One of Asia’s tiny communist nations is looking at blockchain to fuel an economic boom. -
10 Jan 2022
Koreas: A tale of two Olympics
Moon Jae-in won’t finish his presidency with the podium finish he’d dreamed of four years ago. -
10 Jan 2022
Indian Ocean step-up
India is in the driver’s seat to build new security structures in the region, but it can’t do it alone. -
31 Dec 2021
Taliban takeover – Best of The Interpreter 2021
The US withdrawal was telegraphed months beforehand, but the speed of the Taliban advance still came as a shock. -
30 Dec 2021
The junta takes back Myanmar – Best of The Interpreter 2021
A coup in February sparked countrywide protests and challenged the region to respond. -
29 Dec 2021
An AUKUS surprise – Best of The Interpreter 2021
An extraordinary decision put Australia at the centre of regional defence debates. -
28 Dec 2021
China’s economic punishment – Best of The Interpreter 2021
Beijing sought to make Australia pay as a diplomatic freeze deepened. But the sanction didn’t entirely go to plan. -
27 Dec 2021
A climate changed – Best of The Interpreter 2021
An economic shift ahead of crucial negotiations, yet still the world struggled with the consequences of global warming. -
24 Dec 2021
Covid-19 and -20 and -21 … Best of The Interpreter 2021
As vaccines rolled out, hope that pandemic lockdowns would end proved short-lived as variants took hold. -
24 Dec 2021
Filipino journalists can only take risks equal to their protections
The reporters most vulnerable to life-threatening harm are either low-profile or based in provinces – especially both. -
23 Dec 2021
Top 10 of 2021: The most-read articles on The Interpreter
Covid, coups, LBGT rights in Asia, and Afghanistan’s collapse: articles that drew the most eyeballs this past year. -
23 Dec 2021
What’s the worst that could happen? Tackling existential risk
A pandemic is bad. But humanity is inviting greater dangers by toying with technologies that could end the species. -
23 Dec 2021
Myths that stir trouble in the South China Sea
A major shipping route, yes, but vital? False claims about the value of these waters only make diplomacy harder. -
23 Dec 2021
Pakistan and China: An unhappy union in Gwadar
Protests against Beijing’s strategic investments in Balochistan are only the latest in a long line of grievances. -
22 Dec 2021
India remains divided about AUKUS
Something about the new Australia, UK and US deal suggests it could detract from the value and usefulness of the Quad. -
22 Dec 2021
That 70s show for an Interpreter 2021 favourite
No, not a television re-run. A book about the enduring power of personality over world politics. -
22 Dec 2021
Showcasing PNG, beyond expos and summits
A lack of strategic diplomacy and targeted foreign policy are selling the country’s immense potential short. -
21 Dec 2021
India’s beauty and the beast
From UN seats and economic rebounds to Miss Universe wins and Olympic golds, it’s been quite a year. -
21 Dec 2021
Ear worms for The Interpreter’s 2021 favourites
Podcasts-a-plenty for the end of year break, a new beat for world politics. -
21 Dec 2021
Economic diplomacy: Retro shopping beats the supply chain crisis
WWW Santa beware. The gift trade is still subject to the old-school padded tromp of shoe leather. -
20 Dec 2021
European security: Putin ups the ante with NATO
Why is Moscow making proposals it must know are unacceptable? -
20 Dec 2021
How New Zealand recognises the people there first: 2021 favourites
New Zealand is taking its indigenous identity to the world in a way that will no doubt bolster its reputation. -
20 Dec 2021
Hun Sen’s all-encompassing rule of Cambodia
The strongman has anointed his son as successor – after an election, of course. -
17 Dec 2021
Solomons strife demands a development re-think
Australia’s security-driven approach is regularly counterproductive. -
17 Dec 2021
The multilateralism menu: The Interpreter’s 2021 favourites
Want a slice of the regional pie? Or to understand the spaghetti strands of national ambition? We’ve just the dish. -
17 Dec 2021
China, Australia, and the Internet of Things
Australia must learn to manage, rather than avoid, the dilemmas of a global reliance on Chinese digital networks. -
16 Dec 2021
Australia’s “China” blinders on South Korea
By focusing on the elephant, Australia risks misunderstanding the room. -
16 Dec 2021
Team Pacific serves up a revolution: Interpreter 2021 favourites
A reality TV cooking show that is about so much more than simply food. -
16 Dec 2021
Common prosperity meets the Belt and Road
Xi’s emphasis on the “real-economy” could also engender a qualitative shift in the types of investments Beijing makes. -
15 Dec 2021
Merkel mark II?
He’s not called the Scholzomat for nothing, but there are radical reforms on the new German chancellor’s agenda. -
15 Dec 2021
Red obsession: The Interpreter’s 2021 favourites
A cult 1980s film serves as a useful lesson on how to deal with China’s wine tariffs. -
15 Dec 2021
Crisis stability as a priority in US-China relations
Arms control with China will look very different from arms control with Russia. -
14 Dec 2021
From Brentford to the world: The Interpreter’s 2021 favourites
Watching his hometown team take on the English Premier League after a seven-decade hiatus was worth the wait. -
14 Dec 2021
Why isn’t Australia putting diplomacy first?
Canberra is out of step with its key allies with one of the most potent tools its international arsenal. -
14 Dec 2021
Lights! Camera! Action! A new Hollywood
China’s love of American cinema is pushing the limits on a film industry that is highly regulated by the state. -
13 Dec 2021
The Interpreter’s 2021 favourites: reconnecting with music and art
Australia might have been locked off from the world in Covid times, but culture knows no bounds. -
13 Dec 2021
Changing my mind about AUKUS
What I said then, and what I think now, about the nuclear-powered subs announcement that caught everyone by surprise. -
13 Dec 2021
History in the making: AUKUS, allyship and the 1957 Defence Review
Menzies era rationalism offers insight into Australia’s pragmatic approach to security partnerships. -
13 Dec 2021
Erdoǧan loses his way
As Turkey’s economy falters, its strongman president is falling in the polls – the implications may be far reaching. -
13 Dec 2021
Myanmar’s annus horribilis
The security situation is more complex and dangerous than it has been since the 1950s, without a resolution in sight. -
10 Dec 2021
Duterte is playing both sides
Whether in relations with the United States or China, the Philippines remains a plaything in power politics. -
10 Dec 2021
Erdoǧan loses his way
As Turkey’s economy falters, its strongman president is falling in the polls – the implications may be far reaching. -
9 Dec 2021
Europe is finally getting serious about China
The Global Gateway and Germany’s new government suggests trouble ahead for EU-China relations. -
9 Dec 2021
The dual roles of PNG politicians, and why they fail at both
By focusing on service delivery closer to home, MPs are neglecting their mandated role as national lawmakers. -
8 Dec 2021
Maldives embroiled in Mauritius‑UK tussle over Chagos
A seemingly tranquil archipelago in the central Indian Ocean has wide-ranging strategic significance for key players. -
8 Dec 2021
AUKUS debate “influenced France’s attitude towards New Caledonia”
Local leaders – loyalists and independence advocates alike – believe the subs cancelation has coloured the French view. -
7 Dec 2021
Taming the “grey zone”
It has become something of a catch-all phrase. But if everything is a grey zone tactic, to what extent is this helpful? -
7 Dec 2021
In 2021, interest in Australian education has waned for Indians
Singled out by travel bans, exploited at work and a sense local standards are slipping has turned Indian students off. -
6 Dec 2021
Solomon Islands – where world news is all local
The coverage of the latest crisis was a showcase of Solomon Islands journalists telling the story of their own country.