Skip to main content
The Interpreter

Interpreter - Menu Links

  • Articles
  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • About

Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 11 May 2020
    • Climate change
    • Coronavirus

    Can Covid-19 response be a model for climate action?

    Natasha Kassam , Noah Yim
    Mass behaviour change, policies guided by science, acting for the greater good: just what the climate crisis needs.
  • 8 May 2020
    • Malaysia

    Malaysia needs a shadow cabinet to check an amateurish government

    Chin-Huat Wong
    Covid-19 has exposed Malaysian politics as a scramble for self-interest. There is a better way.
  • 8 May 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Coronavirus

    COVIDcast Episode 10: Australia’s role in shaping a post-corona world

    Penny Wong , Hervé Lemahieu
    The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world.
  • 8 May 2020
    • Indonesia
    • Coronavirus

    Indonesia’s democracy is flawed, but do enough people care?

    Fadhilah Fitri Primandari
    Covid-19 puts healthcare and the economy at the top of the agenda, although poor governance is making matters worse.
  • 8 May 2020
    • Australia
    • Myanmar

    Under cover of Covid-19, conflict in Myanmar goes unchecked

    James Barklamb
    Repression and violence against ethnic minorities carries on, even in the face of international investigations.
  • 8 May 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus
    • Human rights

    Samoa’s constitutional crisis: Undermining rule of law

    Fiona Ey
    Amid the Covid-19 emergency, a set of legal amendments threatens judicial independence and human rights.
  • 7 May 2020
    • United States
    • Australia
    • China
    • Coronavirus

    Wuhan lab claims: Is Australia questioning China? Or the US? Both?

    Sam Roggeveen , Natasha Kassam , Ben Scott
    Leaked claims, supposed intelligence dossiers, angry outbursts. Lowy experts look to make sense of a Covid controversy.
  • 7 May 2020
    • Global Economy
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
    • Coronavirus

    Economic diplomacy: Lifting the doona on a post-pandemic world

    Greg Earl
    Australia can boast success in containing the virus. But its economy may still shrink more than other G20 nations.
  • 7 May 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    Creating a Pacific bubble

    Joe Rafalowicz
    Australia’s special ties with Pacific Islands and New Zealand offer a chance to ensure mutual safety and prosperity.
  • 7 May 2020
    • United States
    • Afghanistan War
    • Terrorism
    • Afghanistan
    • Central Asia
    • Russia

    With US Afghan exit, Russia eyes Central Asian security

    Azima Akhmatova
    An unstable Afghanistan threatens all kinds of trouble for its neighbours. For Russia, it may be a golden opportunity.
  • 7 May 2020
    • Technology
    • Papua New Guinea

    Digital declarations: Political ads on PNG social media must be clear

    Shane McLeod
    Local politicians are deploying Facebook’s paid advertising tools. The dominant social platform should take a hard look.
  • 6 May 2020
    • United States
    • China
    • Coronavirus

    Beyond Covid, might China overreach?

    Biren Nanda
    The virus has further complicated US-China ties, as both nibble away the bonds of multilateralism.
  • 6 May 2020
    • Terrorism
    • Thailand

    Thailand: Killings of insurgents ends southern separatist ceasefire

    Craig Keating
    The focus is the Thai state. Foreigners and foreign interest are not targets in this fight.
  • 6 May 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • Pacific Islands
    • United States
    • The Trump Presidency

    Discontinued: America’s Continuous Bomber Presence

    Peter Layton
    Ending a long-standing program, the US shows its commitment to defending friends in the Western Pacific is on the wane.
  • 6 May 2020
    • Coronavirus
    • Human rights

    Coronavirus: The end of sexist economics?

    Tara Davda , Priya Chattier
    Gender-responsive coronavirus policies are not only smart economics, but provide opportunities to do the right thing.
  • 6 May 2020
    • Philippines
    • Coronavirus

    Philippines: Bangsamoro, between conflict and Covid-19

    Georgi Engelbrecht
    A year after its creation, the autonomous region faces the threat of a pandemic, on top of lingering fractures.
  • 5 May 2020
    • United States
    • US Elections
    • China

    Who would Beijing prefer wins in November?

    Elliott Zaagman
    China looms over American politics, yet while bilateral ties are straining, a new president might not be welcome news.
  • 5 May 2020
    • Pacific Islands

    Debating constitutional change in Samoa

    Anna Dziedzic
    Critics claim Covid-19 is used as a cover, but proposed changes to raise the status of custom have a long history.
  • 5 May 2020
    • China
    • Climate change
    • Energy

    Despite headwinds, China prepares for world’s largest carbon market

    Huw Slater
    A low-carbon economy is within China’s reach: it’s up to the provinces to make it work.
  • 5 May 2020
    • China's Economy
    • Australia
    • China
    • Coronavirus

    The prospects for China’s post–Covid-19 economy

    Rowan Callick
    Big questions loom around how China can jump-start growth after the coronavirus crisis and the US trade war.
  • 4 May 2020
    • Multilateral Development Banks
    • Coronavirus

    Covid-19 and development banks in Asia

    Malcolm Cook
    Covid-19 has challenged fears, or hopes, the AIIB would supplant the World Bank and ADB as the development bank in Asia.
  • 4 May 2020
    • Global Issues
    • Climate change

    Bob May – Professor of Everything

    Robyn Williams
    A scientist with a flexible mind and at times bluntly persuasive style guided PMs and the public alike.
  • 4 May 2020
    • Climate change
    • Coronavirus

    Parallel plotlines: The evolving stories of climate change and corona

    Bronwyn Lo
    How will history judge the global epilogues on two of the world’s greatest challenges?
  • 4 May 2020
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Australia
    • Papua New Guinea

    Notes on representing Australia in Papua New Guinea

    Ian Kemish
    A former High Commissioner to PNG reflects on the “high highs and low lows” of serving in a unique diplomatic role.
  • 1 May 2020
    • China
    • Pakistan

    Gwadar Port: New Dubai or pie in the sky?

    Adnan Aamir
    For all its ambition, Pakistan’s flagship BRI project has all the makings of a flop.
  • 1 May 2020
    • China

    Unpacking China’s overseas aid program

    Jo-Hannah Lavey
    China’s approach to aid has the potential to shake up a staid international humanitarian system.
  • 1 May 2020
    • Global Economy
    • Coronavirus

    COVIDcast Episode 9: Covid‑19 and the oil price collapse

    Rodger Shanahan , Roland Rajah , Rachel Ziemba
    The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world.
  • 1 May 2020
    • Japan
    • Coronavirus

    Japan: Cracks in Abe’s government amid the Covid-19 crisis

    Purnendra Jain , Takeshi Kobayashi
    The dream projects of Japan’s longest serving PM appear under threat as his political capital evaporates.
  • 1 May 2020
    • Global Issues
    • Europe
    • Coronavirus

    Governments, not pandemics, stop access to reproductive health

    Sara E Davies , Sophie Harman
    A winding back of hard-won women’s rights in Europe has implications for us all.
  • 30 Apr 2020
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Energy

    The high price of cheap oil for Saudi Arabia

    Rodger Shanahan
    Having picked this fight and dragged in Washington, the Saudi Crown prince now also has a big stake in the US election.
  • 30 Apr 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Asean
    • China

    The missing piece in the debate about the future regional order

    Nurliana Kamaruddin , Jan Vincent Galas
    While all attention has been on the US and China, countries of the region themselves might have a say.
  • 30 Apr 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Climate change
    • Coronavirus

    Winds of change: Rethinking disaster relief after Cyclone Harold

    Meg Keen , David Sanderson
    Local response teams and demand-driven solutions are key to climate change aid in the Pacific.
  • 30 Apr 2020
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia
    • China
    • Coronavirus

    Foresight and pragmatism missing in Australia’s relations with China

    Alistair Nicholas
    Beijing’s man in Canberra misjudged our tolerance for a bully. But why is Australia alone pushing for a Covid inquiry?
  • 29 Apr 2020

    Meanwhile, development marches on...

    Alexandre Dayant
    As the Covid-19 pandemic demands the world’s attention, questions of economic and social progress are as urgent as ever.
  • 29 Apr 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • United States
    • Technology
    • Coronavirus

    Information warfare in the theatre of Covid-19

    Damien Spry
    Viral misinformation thrives amid the very conditions we see today – a lesson China appears to have identified.
  • 29 Apr 2020
    • Defence & Security

    The black, white and grey in defining the “rules-based order”

    Ben Scott
    Testing the debate with some opening assumptions about an increasingly common phrase that still fails to resonate.
  • 29 Apr 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • Technology

    Beyond the buzz: A primer on swarms

    Maaike Verbruggen
    Militarised and ready for battle, artificial intelligence could bring new numbers of drones to the fight – eventually.
  • 29 Apr 2020
    • Australia
    • Technology
    • Coronavirus

    Back to the future: Keeping Australian air lines of communication open

    David Brewster
    Not for the first time Australia is cut off from the world. Government has an essential role in preserving a connection.
  • 28 Apr 2020
    • Global Economy
    • IMF
    • Trade
    • WTO
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • New Zealand

    New Zealand: Running the marathon

    Dick Grant
    Having started well, there’s a lot to happen yet. And so far this race is not a team event, internationally.
  • 28 Apr 2020
    • Global Economy
    • Coronavirus

    A mining boom to a dining boom and more economic consequences of Covid

    Tim Harcourt
    All at once, everything economic seemed to stop, and the aftermath will transform our experience of globalisation.
  • 28 Apr 2020
    • Timor-Leste
    • Coronavirus

    A Covid-19 wake-up call to reshape Timor-Leste’s economy

    Joao da Cruz Cardoso
    A dual shock has demonstrated that dependence on oil revenue is unsustainable.
  • 28 Apr 2020
    • United States
    • China
    • Coronavirus

    Is this the Kindleberger moment?

    Peter Layton
    Covid-19 exposes a power vacuum where exceptionalism and tinfoil hat conspiracy theories go hand in hand.
  • 27 Apr 2020
    • Afghanistan
    • Coronavirus

    The Taliban makes the most of Covid-19 crisis in Afghanistan

    Roshni Kapur , Chayanika Saxena
    Whether for propaganda or political clout, the group has adopted an unexpected response to the outbreak.
  • 27 Apr 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Vietnam

    Troubled waters: China’s sovereign ambition in the shadows of Covid-19

    Trinh Le
    While the US is busy containing the coronavirus, Beijing stakes its claims in the South China Sea.
  • 27 Apr 2020
    • South Korea

    Kim is dead? Hang on, many South Koreans don’t trust their own press

    David Volodzko
    A legacy of beat-ups and cover-ups, plus lingering authoritarian vestiges, make for little faith in local reporters.
  • 27 Apr 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • Japan
    • South Korea

    Islands of ire: The South Korea–Japan dispute

    Olivia Tasevski
    The Dokdo/Takeshima islands are a flashpoint for memories of exploitation – a hostility that won’t soon be resolved.
  • 24 Apr 2020
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Islamic State
    • Terrorism
    • Coronavirus

    ISIS looks to prosper in a world distracted by the virus

    Kareem Salem
    Europe could quickly be confronted by another security crisis if the terrorists growing resurgence is left unchecked.
  • 24 Apr 2020
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations
    • Coronavirus

    COVIDcast Episode 8: Covid-19 and the World Health Organisation

    Joel Negin , Natasha Kassam
    The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world.
  • 24 Apr 2020
    • Coronavirus

    Strength in numbers: The benefit from global efforts to halt the virus

    Hervé Lemahieu , Nicholas Bosworth
    Scientists racing to solve Covid-19 are proving that international solidarity is no empty platitude.
  • 24 Apr 2020
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    105 years on, a digital commemoration marks a very different Anzac Day

    Federica Caso
    Covid-19 might make traditional gatherings impractical, but individual commemoration was already gaining traction.
Pagination
  • Previous page ‹‹
  • …
  • Page 63
  • Page 64
  • Page 65
  • Page 66
  • Current page 67
  • Page 68
  • Page 69
  • Page 70
  • Page 71
  • …
  • Next page ››

Stay informed with the latest commentary and analysis on international events from experts at the Lowy Institute and around the world.

Register

The Interpreter features in-depth analysis & expert commentary on the latest international events, published daily by the Lowy Institute.

© Copyright 2025 Lowy Institute

  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • Articles
  • About
  • Terms of Use
  • Log In
  • My bookmarks