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It seemed such a good idea at the time. If Britain could mend its political fences with China and engage whole heartedly with the new economic power of China then substantial economic benefits would accrue to the UK. Then Prime Minister David Cameron duly made a properly ritualistic apology for

In mid July, news broke on Japan’s national broadcaster NHK that Emperor Akihito wished to abdicate in favour of his son Naruhito. A week ago, the Emperor released a video message to the people of Japan, inferring that this was indeed his desire. Although the language and tone of the message

By John Gooding, Digital Editor at the Lowy Institute and Associate Editor at The Interpreter. On Thursday evening Jewel Topsfield of Fairfax Media won the 2016 Lowy Institute Media Award (and $20,000) for her reporting from Indonesia. At the ceremony the Institute was addressed by the new ABC

Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison has blocked both Chinese companies bidding for a 50.4% share of the lease to operate New South Wales electricity distributor, Ausgrid. Morrison said the decision was taken on national security grounds. Somewhat ominously, Morrison's media release only

The Guardian has published 2000 documents leaked from within Australia's offshore detention centre on Nauru. Labeled 'The Nauru Files', they detail the abuse of refugees, with data showing that more than half of the incidents involve children.Australia's Human Rights Commissioner Jillian Triggs has

Official results of from Sunday's referendum show that two-thirds of Thais backed the junta-drafted constitution and support enhanced powers for a military-backed senate in selecting a prime minister. Many see this referendum as a test of confidence in military rule, in effect since 2014 when

Last night Lydia Khalil, counter-terrorism expert and Lowy Institute Nonresident Fellow, went on a US-election focused episode of Q&A, an ABC current affairs panel show, along with Bob Carr, P. J. O'Rourke, Linda Tirado and Crispin Rovere (who has written frequently for The Interpreter on

During the Vietnam War the Vietcong coined the term 'hanging onto the belts' of the enemy as a way of blunting the United States' overwhelming superiority in fire support.  In essence the tactic required the Vietcong to fight  American and allied forces in such close quarters that indirect

Australia’s DFAT has suspended funding of World Vision Programs in Palestine, after its country head was charged by Israel over allegations of diverting funds to Hamas. World Vision has welcomed the suspension but remains 'mystified' by the charges. The Guardian has an interview with

It is over 50 years since American Secretary of State Dean Acheson said that Britain had lost an empire but was yet to find a role. Perhaps to the surprise of some of his fellow Americans, Britain remains a serious player in the world despite all that. It has the world's fifth-largest economy; it

One factor driving energy policies across the world is repeated claims by activists that green energy is gaining substantial market share over its despised fossil fuel competitors. These claims, made for the likes of the Danish, German, Californian and even Chinese grids, are distorting the energy

All staff at the Lowy Institute were saddened to learn of the untimely death of Professor Jeffrey Grey of the Australian Defence Force Academy. Professor Grey was a highly regarded military historian, specialising in the First World War.  Last month, on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the

The Lowy Institute analysis 'Making the Most of the G20', which argues the G20 should be at the centre of Australia's approach to economic engagement, explores many of the themes that will be aired in this debate. Sitting alongside some of our key economic partners at the G20 finance ministers and

Papua New Guinea's treasury has released the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook report, which provides revised revenue and growth estimates for 2016. The report is a scary document, highlighting how the state of the economy has deteriorated from already dampened expectations in the 2016 budget

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull named Frances Adamson as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's new secretary on 20 July, making her the first woman to hold the post. The smart money had been on Ms Adamson to be appointed and internal and external reactions were generally very positive. Li

In this Quick Comment, the Lowy Institute's International Security Program Director Euan Graham talks to RAND Corporation's Andrew Scobell on how China perceives US strategy and decision-making, China's past experience with alliances (and the relative absence of contemporary Chinese allies), and

The Lowy Institute analysis 'Making the Most of the G20', which argues the G20 should be at the centre of Australia's approach to economic engagement, explores many of the themes that will be aired in this debate. Australia's enviable economic performance over the last quarter-century has given us

All it took was Yangon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein saying 'We don’t need Ma Ba Tha' at a meeting in Singapore, and three weeks later 'the face of Buddhist terror' appeared meek and terrified itself. Ma Ba Tha, the abbreviation of what in English is the Patriotic Association of Myanmar, is

'IMF admits disastrous love affair with the euro led to immolation of Greece'. So runs a press headline about the IMF Independent Evaluation Office (IEO)'s new report on the 2010 Greek crisis. It was already widely accepted that the IMF's handling of the crisis was badly flawed, so the IEO's

By Nicholas Welsh, an intern in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program. In the face of rising regional tensions in the South China Sea, North Korea last month launched three ballistic missiles as part of a mock nuclear strike against US ports and airstrips embedded in South Korea. In a

The G20 is a policy no-brainer for Australia, and we should be actively engaged in the forum.  This is one of the basic conclusions that my colleague Hannah Wurf and I outline in our Lowy Institute analysis, Making the most of the G20, released today.  The position may surprise those

Last week's announcement by US Vice President Joe Biden that Washington has accepted an invitation to send a ship to New Zealand for the navy's 75th anniversary fleet review in November was widely heralded as the end of a thirty-year standoff between the two countries over nuclear-powered or nuclear

Two recent events have brought into sharp focus a growing divide between India's geoeconomic and geopolitical strategies: India's failed bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in June – essentially scuttled by China – and the Modi Government's desire for closer defence

The steady stream of terrorist attacks over the last two months has seen the worst fears of many terrorism analysts realised, and called into question the fundamentals of how governments 'do' counter-terrorism. The investigative ethos at the heart of counter-terrorism is fairly simple. Intelligence