23 Mar 2020
Three years working in self-isolation – what I’ve learned, so far
A global crisis makes you wonder: Just how much will every topic feel a “social distancing” effect?
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23 Mar 2020
Coronavirus and the Hong Kong protest movement
Covid-19 may have put a damper on pro-democracy street demonstrations, but the spirit is very much alive. -
20 Mar 2020
A speech for the age of the self-isolated
Political leaders have a nearly impossible task to break through the noise and the fear, but they must. -
20 Mar 2020
Books for quarantine: Hugh White suggests, plus a time for classics
More reader responses to the call for books to collect for social isolation. -
20 Mar 2020
Joe Biden and the ghosts of elections past
Faced with a diverse field of candidates and now a major crisis, Democrats go with what they know. -
20 Mar 2020
How people power has flattened the Covid curve in Hong Kong
Quick adaptation has kept down the spread of coronavirus, but it’s no time to relax. -
20 Mar 2020
COVIDcast episode 3: The China story
The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world. -
20 Mar 2020
Why gender matters in the impact and recovery from Covid-19
Two-thirds of the global health workforce is female. Start there, then think through rest of the consequences for women. -
19 Mar 2020
Is Singapore feeling safe enough to go to the polls?
All signs point to a looming election, but nothing is official so far – and a ballot in a pandemic is a big risk. -
19 Mar 2020
Don’t succumb to complacency again: Beating Covid-19 will take a team
The world, together, can stop the virus, otherwise we are lost alone. -
19 Mar 2020
Countering extremism in the midst of coronavirus
Disaster and emergency management need to recognise the ways in which crisis plays into the hands of extremists. -
19 Mar 2020
Are you ready for how the coronavirus is transforming the world?
China is likely to emerge from this crisis far stronger economically, and Australia must look beyond “selling stuff”. -
19 Mar 2020
The future ain’t what it used to be
If Covid-19 teaches us anything, obviously we need to plan, but let’s not pretend the future is actually predictable. -
18 Mar 2020
PNG: Coronavirus promises a testing time for Marape
Although yet to have a confirmed case of Covid-19, PNG is preparing, knowing it will burden a fragile healthcare system. -
18 Mar 2020
Middle East dispatch: MBS purge, dam dispute, refugees in jeopardy
As Covid-19 threatens some of the world’s most vulnerable, power plays continue in northern Africa and Saudi Arabia. -
18 Mar 2020
Iran: Sanctions vs sympathy
The US policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran will look increasingly untenable as the coronavirus pandemic escalates. -
18 Mar 2020
Books for self-isolation: Revisiting Why Nations Fail
Looking to past examples of state collapse offers a predictive guide to why nations will fail in the future. -
17 Mar 2020
The uncertain fate of .org
A profit-free corner of the internet is going through a rapid and controversial process of privatisation. -
17 Mar 2020
Indonesia: Covid-19 crisis reveals cracks in Jokowi’s ad hoc politics
The world’s fourth most-populous country has a long way to go to get a grip on this challenge, its president especially. -
17 Mar 2020
Limiting the global economic fallout from Covid-19
As the the coronavirus pandemic grows, preventing a full-scale financial crisis requires exactly the right response. -
17 Mar 2020
Migration: The bargaining power of transit states
Destination countries try to get transit countries in line with their migration policies. It doesn't always work. -
16 Mar 2020
Australia-Philippines: Prolonged partners
Manila’s termination of defence ties with Washington will have a geopolitical cost, but Canberra has history on side. -
16 Mar 2020
Anticipating Covid‑19 in the Pacific
While Australia prepares its domestic interventions, it needs to spare some thought for the Pacific as well. -
16 Mar 2020
Fighting Covid-19: Everyone needs to be their own Sherlock Holmes
Control over the spread of virus is possible. How? Aggressive and persistent tracing of every single case. Starting now. -
16 Mar 2020
The IMF ponders international capital flows
Foreign capital flows without effective debt resolution is like Christianity without the threat of hell. -
13 Mar 2020
Readers respond: Books to collect for Covid-19 quarantine
A call-out for reading recommendations covers classics, contemporary politics, and the crystal ball. -
13 Mar 2020
Democrats on trade, and North Korea: “No hot dish for the dictator”
From free trade to one of Asia’s most intractable challenges, a Democratic president needs to navigate Trump’s legacy. -
13 Mar 2020
Papua New Guinea: Journey to Ambullua
A trek to a remote village in the PNG Highlands uncovers the everyday challenges and dangers facing children. -
13 Mar 2020
The Belt and Rebranding Initiative
What’s in a name? Old ideas are new again in the name of China’s Belt and Road initiative. -
12 Mar 2020
What a difference six weeks and a viral outbreak make for Donald Trump
A stock market in bear territory and Joe Biden all but confirmed threaten the President’s chances of a second term. -
12 Mar 2020
Economic diplomacy: Rising risks and missing links in a pandemic
Covid-19 reveals a need for Australian exports beyond China, security plans for epidemics, and supply-chain smarts. -
12 Mar 2020
Covid-19 in China, the US, India: Comparative crisis management 101
The corona crisis is shining an unforgiving light on how very different political systems deal with unexpected crises. -
12 Mar 2020
The Democrats and China: “Our values are not a bargaining chip”
How and where the US projects force is one of many questions hanging over a potential Democratic presidency. -
12 Mar 2020
Covid-19 will kill Moon Jae-in’s Korea détente
Fears of the virus’s spread have ruined hopes tourism could bind North and South Korea – with a mounting political cost. -
11 Mar 2020
The Democrats and America’s place in the world: “A rescue mission”
The last men standing for the Democratic presidential nomination have a few things in common – and some big differences. -
11 Mar 2020
A Thuringian eruption in Germany
A fiasco turns to farce, enlivening the far right and leaving succession plans for Angela Merkel in shreds. -
11 Mar 2020
Aid links: What happens when Covid-19 hits the poorest nations, more
Links and stories from the aid and development sector. -
11 Mar 2020
Book review: Contest for the Indo-Pacific
How a “mental map” became a physical space facing “the risks of multiple plausible futures”. -
10 Mar 2020
On the Mekong, Khon Pi rapids saved – for now
The drive to dam the river continues to outpace real understanding of the dams’ impact. -
10 Mar 2020
Coping with Covid-19 as the Tokyo Olympics loom
Postponement looks likely – but a complete cancellation could be disastrous for Japan, Abe Shinzo included. -
10 Mar 2020
Books I’ve been meaning to read: Covid-19 and preparing for quarantine
Toilet paper is piled high in the laundry cupboard. Now to make a dent on the stockpile of books. -
9 Mar 2020
The curious case of the US Sri Lanka sanctions
An American administration with little apparent regard for human rights put sanctions on an alleged war criminal. Why? -
9 Mar 2020
Australia’s intelligence community needs another independent review
None of the assessments done to date have looked at why women remain under-represented in senior roles. -
9 Mar 2020
Who will be the 21st century’s rule maker?
Asia needs a new order for the post-American era, and it cannot be a liberal one. -
9 Mar 2020
Playing to strengths: The best use of Australian aid in the Pacific
Big spending on infrastructure catches headlines but replicates the work of others and may not be what the region needs. -
6 Mar 2020
Elizabeth Warren is far from finished
The candidate with “a plan for everything” might have missed the mark, but her ideas landed on target. -
6 Mar 2020
Australia needs a feminist foreign policy
The 2017 White Paper references national security almost three times as often as foreign policy. Something wrong here? -
6 Mar 2020
Saudi Arabia is not offside on gender equality
Years of legislative and cultural change will come to a head at the G20 to show how far the Kingdom has come for women. -
6 Mar 2020
Counterterrorism: A woman’s game
Two books, neither cheerleading, show the valuable, evolving, and contradictory roles women play in national security. -
6 Mar 2020
Philippines: When democracies hit midlife crisis
The Philippines’ democracy turned 34 last week. Will it continue to flirt with authoritarian fantasies?