17 Nov 2020
The G20’s existential crisis
The group’s expanded mandate, including into women’s empowerment, puts its relevance and its values under a microscope.
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16 Nov 2020
End of the road for Hong Kong’s opposition camp?
A gesture of solidarity, yes. But the mass resignation by 15 pro-democracy lawmakers was also an admission of defeat. -
16 Nov 2020
Reality bites: Budget, personalities and politics put Marape on notice
PNG’s prime minister must face down a no-confidence motion everyone knew was coming yet still caused a surprise. -
16 Nov 2020
Putting real Australian money on the table to help Indonesia
An outright loan for A$1.5 billion won’t meet all Indonesia’s needs – but it’s a very welcome start. -
16 Nov 2020
India: Trolls from a Hindu nationalist fringe with a majority complex
Online outrage over a jewellery TV ad underlined a majoritarian drift in debating Indian identity. -
13 Nov 2020
Biden’s clean energy plan versus China’s green tech dominance
The US might be able to construct a clean-energy supply chain without relying on China, but it won’t be easy. -
13 Nov 2020
Jihadist attacks in Nice: The Tunisian connection
Hopes have been dashed for moderate Islamism to undercut dictatorships, eliminate terrorism and strengthen human rights. -
13 Nov 2020
The evolving threat from chemical weapons
Emerging technologies pose new challenges to the already fragile norms of chemical weapons control. -
12 Nov 2020
Japan-Australia: The chance to sweeten the deal
Scott Morrison’s trip to Tokyo should move beyond a narrow focus on defence to secure the living environment. -
12 Nov 2020
China: World’s biggest polluter ... and climate activist?
Its greenhouse gas emissions are more than the US and EU combined, but China has big ambitions for carbon neutrality. -
12 Nov 2020
In post-Covid recovery, hidden costs of going green
An environmentally sustainable recovery from the pandemic’s economic damage shouldn’t disadvantage developing countries. -
11 Nov 2020
America’s divisions are real, and not going away
Yes, Joe Biden won the election. But Donald Trump got 71 million votes, this time running on his record. -
11 Nov 2020
Leading by example: Two different responses to China’s rise
South Korea and Australia share many traits but differ in one important respect – their responses to a rising China. -
11 Nov 2020
Biden’s comfortable style of diplomacy will be welcome for Japan
Fear within Tokyo circles that the US will become “too soft” on China missed the nuance a new administration will adopt. -
10 Nov 2020
Small hope for justice in Mexico’s deadly “war on drugs”
Outrage over the 2014 disappearance of 43 students and the demand for national reckoning has far-reaching implications. -
10 Nov 2020
What does a Biden administration herald for New Zealand?
More congenial relations, certainly, but a competitive diplomatic marketplace in Washington should temper expectations. -
10 Nov 2020
A chance for the US to change its tune on justice
Will American hostility to the International Criminal Court, and exception from it, shift under a Biden administration? -
9 Nov 2020
Joe Biden: Big questions and great expectations
Will the world be receptive to a US attempt to reassert global leadership after the crassness of Trump’s America First? -
9 Nov 2020
Can Trumpism live without Trump?
Might a more competent Republican leader turn this movement into a far more powerful force? Or will the bloc splinter? -
9 Nov 2020
The safeguards in Australia’s intelligence ecosystem
Robert Hope laid out down operating principles to ensure the intelligence community is properly managed and accountable. -
8 Nov 2020
Can Joe Biden set the stage for a renewal of American leadership?
Much depends how he adjudicates a growing intra-centrist debate within the Democratic Party on the state of the world. -
6 Nov 2020
Iran’s year of reckoning
The #MeToo movement is gaining traction in Iran, but its impact is unlikely to alter the status quo in the short term. -
6 Nov 2020
Next steps in advocating for the Pacific Islands Forum
The island nations must get out to “sell a story and ideas” in Washington, and beyond. -
6 Nov 2020
China’s problematic lending comes home to roost
Pressure is mounting for China to join international debt-management initiatives. -
5 Nov 2020
Economic diplomacy: A headless WTO, selling the Asian farm
The US blocks a consensus candidate at WTO, Australian businesses offloading in Asia and the Ant float banned. -
5 Nov 2020
A Trump legacy?
Trump or Biden, it’s clear there are far bigger foreign policy contests still to be settled. -
5 Nov 2020
A backlash against the Women, Peace and Security agenda?
Power politics overshadow progress at the UN Security Council as Resolution 1325 celebrates its 20th anniversary. -
4 Nov 2020
Is China speeding up military modernisation? It may, but not yet
A new communique was quickly read as a signal Beijing was shifting forward its 2035 target but the evidence isn’t there. -
4 Nov 2020
Book review: The China bubble that never pops
Against the odds, the Chinese economy has navigated multiple crises, but the future may be more problematic. -
4 Nov 2020
Coming soon: A neutral South Korea?
South Korea has transformed drastically over the last 20 years, and strategic change on the peninsula will be via Seoul. -
3 Nov 2020
Blurring fact and fiction in the US election
Much of the chaos expected in the coming days and weeks can be tied to the commander in chief’s rhetoric. -
3 Nov 2020
Peace Prize to WFP: A win for international cooperation
The success of the World Food Program shows the global system can work with good leadership and strong support. -
3 Nov 2020
Taking China seriously: A review of Geoff Raby’s “grand strategy”
Jumping at shadows is no basis for Australian foreign policy. Common sense must prevail. -
2 Nov 2020
But what does “rules-based order” mean?
For Australia to shape the future order, it will have to get more specific about what it wants. -
2 Nov 2020
Taiwan: Rising stakes for Australia
America’s policy of “strategic ambiguity” is being hotly contested, but multilateralism might offer a fresh approach. -
2 Nov 2020
Nuclear Ban Treaty: Wishful thinking over realism
Lacking enforcement mechanisms or a practical path to elimination, the treaty has little chance of being effective. -
30 Oct 2020
America in 2020: The view from here
A selection of commentary and analysis from Lowy Institute voices on the state of affairs in and beyond the USA. -
30 Oct 2020
Why Kim Jong-un will soon miss Donald Trump
No more squabbles over big buttons, for one thing. -
30 Oct 2020
Seychelles: New man, changing strategic environment
A long campaign has seen a prodigious organiser force a sea change in a nation Australia often mistakenly ignores. -
29 Oct 2020
Inciter in chief
Trump’s pandering to white supremacists and right-wing militias brings a very real risk of violence on election day. -
29 Oct 2020
Western Indian Ocean: Where trouble on land spells danger at sea
Piracy and smuggling are already a menace. Add a budding Islamist insurgency, and far-reaching implications may follow. -
29 Oct 2020
Lessons from Covid: Tackling disease with a city-by-city approach
Two examples – Wuhan and Singapore – show that lockdowns of densely populated urban centres are effective if done right. -
29 Oct 2020
US election: A Democratic trifecta is within sight
Donald Trump’s mismanagement of crisis has swayed voters toward the Democrats. What if they pull off a sweep? -
28 Oct 2020
Shocking abuse of female passengers in Doha demands resolute response
Australia’s options to put Qatar on notice start with recalling its ambassador. The next step could go further. -
28 Oct 2020
Thailand: Military, monarchy and the masses
To understand today’s protests, look to the decades past and the country’s incomplete transition to democracy. -
28 Oct 2020
How South Koreans view the prospect of a Trump re-election
An unpopular President hasn’t dented support for the American alliance. -
28 Oct 2020
Rebirth of the quadrilateral Malabar: Promises and portents for India
The inclusion of Australia in the 2020 Exercise Malabar signals India’s resolve to defend its interests in the region. -
27 Oct 2020
The hate matrix of online gaming
Chatrooms enable players to discuss games, yet are increasingly a hotbed for glorifying violence and radicalisation. -
27 Oct 2020
Singapore and Sri Lanka: Newfound opportunities amid Covid-19 pandemic
Singapore’s efforts to diversify food imports is a practical choice that bodes well for Colombo’s Asia-centric policy. -
27 Oct 2020
Where will Australia stand on banning weapons of mass destruction?
The issue can no longer be dodged. Nuclear weapons will become illegal under the rules-based order of international law.