27 May 2020
Another pearl in China’s string?
Plans in Cambodia for a massive tourist resort on an out-of-the way island don‘t add up and may serve a different goal.
-
-
27 May 2020
A cry for help as Covid‑19 sweeps Latin America and hunger bites
Shortages are returning to a continent with literal red flags to show the virus is compounding poverty. -
27 May 2020
Rohingya in Malaysia, doubly trapped
Panics have a way of seeking out victims, and the Rohingya in Malaysia have been easy targets during the pandemic. -
26 May 2020
New Caledonia: coronavirus deepens the divide
An independence leader has accused France of “colonialist” Covid-19 measures in a bid to shore up the loyalist vote. -
26 May 2020
Hong Kong: System override
Beijing’s proposed new national security law raises the stakes of pro-democracy protests. -
26 May 2020
Mauritius, Diego Garcia and the small matter of nukes
Mauritius can’t have sovereignty over the Chagos and US nuclear weapons housed on Diego Garcia. Or can it? -
25 May 2020
How is an advanced Australia faring in the Asian century?
The power of proximity has long surpassed the “tyranny of distance” in Australian trade relations. -
25 May 2020
In Afghanistan, one step forward, but peace still a far leap
After presidential rivals settle on a power-sharing deal, the big question remains: Will the Taliban come to the table? -
22 May 2020
A Yazidi genocide trial commences – a Hezbollah ban contemplated
Two recent developments in Germany have implications for Australia’s security interests in the Middle East. -
22 May 2020
Getting back to harvest: The way forward after China’s barley tariff
Australian growers are effectively banned from a huge market. But details of the decision show how it may be reversed. -
22 May 2020
COVIDcast Episode 12: Pandemic, emerging markets, and US dollar
The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region and the world. -
22 May 2020
The battle for a Covid vaccine risks losing the “war”
A quest to find the “magic bullet” is drawing dangerous political lines. Without cooperation, nobody wins. -
22 May 2020
Islands of opportunity: Where India and Australia can work together
Joint access to Andaman and Nicobar islands and Cocos island offers a chance to extend patrols and strategic ties. -
21 May 2020
South Korea’s foreign ministry: Just a few bad eggs?
Recent scandals have raised questions about the culture within the country’s diplomatic corps. There are ways to fix it. -
21 May 2020
Now is the right time to bring Fiji into trans-Pacific bubble talks
With the tourist industry reeling, quick action will kickstart island economies more than a well-intended afterthought. -
21 May 2020
Economic diplomacy: Mood shift afoot
Stung by the barley and meat export disputes with China, easy talk about diversifying export markets now gets real. -
21 May 2020
The tangled web of India-China relations
Strained ties with Washington are driving Beijing to reach out to New Delhi. But the gap is wide. -
20 May 2020
West Papua: Looking for an opening
Allowing more access would be an important first step to ending human rights abuses in the troubled Indonesian province. -
20 May 2020
India’s Covid-19 tracing app: Power in the right hands?
Download rates for tracing apps can also be read to indicate how much trust there is in government. -
20 May 2020
We’re all losers in the space arms race
Nations have battled one another for strategic advantage in space for decades. Actual fighting would be a step beyond. -
20 May 2020
Development links: Education journeys, Pacific politics, doing the new
Links and stories from the aid and development sector. -
20 May 2020
Covid-19: The need to aid Asia to open up
For Western donors, this has not been their finest hour, yet collective action offers a chance to revive past success. -
19 May 2020
As Jakarta trims defence, Beijing makes waves in the South China Sea
Covid-19 has seen Southeast Asian countries cut defence budgets just as maritime threats look to be growing dire. -
19 May 2020
Covid-19 chaos creates fertile ground for cyberattacks
Major events that capture population attention, whether pandemics or elections, are ripe for manipulation. -
19 May 2020
PNG and Covid-19: The costs of economic stress
Many people will seek cultural supports, while a few might turn to crime. But this is far from a harbinger for chaos. -
19 May 2020
Diego Garcia: An American perspective
A bid by Mauritius to claim the Chagos Archipelago puts the future of the base in question. Does the US have an answer? -
18 May 2020
Covid-19 is not the biggest threat to UN peacekeeping
Sexual misconduct undermines the fundamental goals of peacekeeping operations. Why does it persist? -
18 May 2020
The false dichotomy at the heart of Australia’s China debate
The conventional wisdom emerging around “sovereignty” vs “surrender” may be more foolish than wise. -
18 May 2020
Constitutional questions over Solomon Islands’ coronavirus crackdown
Sweeping emergency powers must be used in a manner “reasonably justifiable”, not as an excuse to marginalise opponents. -
18 May 2020
Why Vietnam embraces multilateralism at this uncertain time
Communities might be locked in isolation for Covid-19, but Hanoi has faith in the way the world can work together. -
15 May 2020
Covid-19 exposes the need for a European constitution
The pandemic has ruptured the fragile solidarity at the heart of the European project. There is a chance to fix it. -
15 May 2020
In an Olympic-sized challenge, Japan’s golden chance could go begging
Cancellation rumblings are understandable, but an all-or-nothing attitude is a risk, not only for sport but diplomacy. -
15 May 2020
COVIDcast Episode 11: Dave Sharma MP on COVID-19 and Pacific relations
The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world. -
15 May 2020
Covid contest in Indian Ocean region: India, China jostle for top spot
Beijing’s Belt and Road could get very expensive indeed, with cash New Delhi will find hard to match. -
15 May 2020
To act, or not? Al-Shabaab’s response to a Covid-19 crisis in Somalia
Turmoil offers a chance to radicalise and recruit new members, yet violence also poses a risk of alienating supporters. -
14 May 2020
The Taliban’s empty promises of peace
An insurgent attack on a Kabul maternity hospital, in a pandemic, exposes hollow claims of sparing the innocent. -
14 May 2020
Muddled messages as Britain seeks to stay alert
Confusion reigned as Covid-19 lockdown eased, complex guidance raising fears Boris Johnson had made another mistake. -
14 May 2020
Covid-19 and the acceleration of state surveillance
The pandemic has suddenly made the unthinkable acceptable. Data and privacy may never be the same. -
14 May 2020
Australians doubt either US or China will emerge stronger after Covid
New Lowy polling shows Australians are disappointed in Beijing’s Covid-19 response and despairing about Washington’s. -
13 May 2020
Covid-19 and foreign policy: What’s changed, what hasn’t
Health, climate, migration and foreign investment must each contend with the virus. But it’s not all doom and gloom. -
13 May 2020
America’s rudderless Covid response
State and local officials have acted effectively to address the crisis, but they’re on their own, with no end in sight. -
13 May 2020
The health challenge in PNG is far greater than Covid-19 alone
Dismal maternal mortality rates and deadly disease had already threatened to overwhelm a weak health system. -
13 May 2020
In beef over barley, Chinese economic coercion cuts against the grain
Beijing has become adept at punishing countries with legally “dressed up” informal economic sanctions. -
12 May 2020
For Australia, a testing friendship
It’s not a question for polite conversation, but PMs will always wonder, just how reliable is Australia’s big ally? -
12 May 2020
Breaking with intelligence: Trump and the case of pandemic blame
Spurious virus claims are not a case of history repeating. Rather, it’s policy that ignores intelligence altogether. -
12 May 2020
Where did Kim Jong-un go?
We should be cautious when speculating about a North Korea collapse. -
12 May 2020
Vietnam defies the odds on Covid-19
Quick action by the government has helped prevent widespread infection – and turned the tide of public distrust. -
11 May 2020
What’s missing from the Strategic Update
Cute but not cuddly – the goal for defence should be to impose unacceptable costs on a predator that tries to attack. -
11 May 2020
Denials, delays, and conspiracy theories: Iran’s Covid mismanagement
The crisis reveals fundamental failures: a politicised health system, multiple power centres, and no respect for law. -
11 May 2020
Weight on the scales
Middle powers might seek to balance the US and China, but inevitably their own actions change the equation.