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Thanks to @RohanAlexander for reading my 10 Tips for Writing Op-Eds, and for recommending Andrew Leigh MP's essay on the same subject. Artificial intelligence raises profound questions about the future of work, money and democracy. (Thanks Mark.) Can you liquidate a country like you do a

Remarkably little international attention has been given to the beginning of work on the Lower Se San 2 dam in Cambodia, a major hydroelectric dam on one of the Mekong's main tributaries which plays a key part in the annual breeding cycle of the river's fish, which are a major contributor to the

The Lowy Institute has launched its first-ever undergraduate op-ed competition (the deadline is 24 May, so plenty of time to enter; you could win a $500 Westfield voucher), so I thought this would be a good time to reflect on what I think makes a good opinion piece, having written several

When G20 leaders met in Pittsburgh in 2009, they committed to 'rationalize and phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption'. Subsequent meetings have repeated this commitment. It's a big issue. One estimate puts the worldwide subsidies at 2

Mike Callaghan is Director of the Lowy Institute's G20 Studies Centre. Finance Ministers from G7 countries (US, UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, France and Germany) met in London on 10-11 May 2013. This was described as a rarity, because in recent years G7 ministers have usually met on the sidelines of a

Michael responds to an item in Wednesday's links: I looked at, and liked, the visual representation of the Asian Century, but then thought a bit more, and asked myself two questions: For how long could we have drawn the circle that way? (I imagine the bulk of the world's population has

Gar Pardy was the Director General of the Consular Affairs Bureau in the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs for more than a decade until he retired in 2003. The Lowy Institute's Alex Oliver is one of only two or three researchers and commentators in the world of foreign policy who broadens

A footnote to the recent exchange between Rodger Shanahan and myself on whether politicians could do their job better if they made art. Take it away, Hollywood director Steven Soderbergh (who made Contagion, above), speaking at the San Francisco International Film Festival last Saturday:

Bob Bowker on Syria: 'there is no serious foreseeable prospect of the regime collapsing or suffering a game-changing military defeat.' (Thanks Jerry.) The Pentagon's annual assessment of Chinese military power is out. A simple visual representation of the Asian century. 'The era of disruptive

China becoming a player in Israel-Palestine diplomacy? Via Fallows, a scathing take on modern China: 'It's becomes painfully obvious to me how something like the Great Leap Forward could happen in China where millions starved. When a society is built on so many layers of superficiality, bullshit

The Lowy Institute's Rory Medcalf and James Brown are fashioning themselves into the David & Margaret of strategic analysis (for American readers, they're Australia's version of Siskel & Ebert). Here Rory and James review the movie that was the 2013 Defence White Paper

Help wanted: the Lowy Institute is looking for a new Director for its Global Issues program, and a Research Fellow for the G20 Studies Centre. New books, films and conferences casting light up Indonesia's dark past. Confucian culture will ensure that China never catches up with the West? Not

Sam Roggeveen's post raises an interesting question as to whether George W Bush would have been more inquisitive (and hence made better decisions) if he had taken up painting before his presidency. The argument being that the painter's need to determine perspective is a good grounding for

Ian Wing writes: I think Rodger Shanahan made a valid point about the DVA website's choice of words about ANZAC. DVA got it wrong, albeit on a relatively minor issue of historical accuracy that neglected the fact that British, French and Indian troops outnumbered our own. Nonetheless, the

A bland media release from Europe's officials statistics agency tells a tale of a vast human misery: unemployment in Greece and Spain is around 27%, with youth unemployment approaching a staggering 60%. (H/t Drum.) The Economist has analysis of global youth unemployment here. 'France avoids

There's no easier way to demonstrate the appalling standard of online political debate than to cite comment threads: abusive, intolerant, disrespectful, rude, inflammatory etc. That's true, but it's not the whole truth. I give occasional seminars here at the Lowy Institute for groups of public

Mike Callaghan is Director of the Lowy Institute's G20 Studies Centre. As the debate over 'growth versus fiscal austerity' continues, with the latest battleground set to be the IMF's forthcoming annual review of the UK economy, attention continues to focus on what is happening in Japan. Simon

Last Monday's Interpreter piece from Environmental Studies Professor Roger Pielke Jr was one of a number of commentaries in the international media arguing that Europe's emissions trading scheme (ETS) had essentially failed as a mechanism for reducing carbon emissions. Now I see that there's

Afghanistan: the CIA is delivering bags of cash 'to maintain access to Mr. Karzai and his inner circle'. (Thanks Michael.) A US Congressional Research Service report on global internet freedom. (Thanks Fergus.) US Ambassador to Canberra wants Australians to stop pirating Game of Thrones. (Thanks

Erin Hurley has nearly ten years of experience working in US politics in New York and Washington DC, and served as a legislative affairs officer within the US Department of Defense. In a post on the Boston bombings in Foreign Policy, Stephen Walt expressed strong disappointment in 'our collective

The Lowy Institute has launched its undergraduate essay competition. Everywhere you go in China, you see hints of liberalisation. But not in the media, or any other sector that might threaten Party control. Earlier this week Don Markwell asked where the remaining $100 million would come from

Mike Callaghan is Director of the Lowy Institute's G20 Studies Centre. The controversy over mistakes in a research paper by Harvard Professors Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff is a sad indictment on the state of the public debate on economic policy. Reinhart & Rogoff's work was never

The dark side of Qatar: 94% of the labour force is foreign, working under 'near-feudal' conditions. I have been remiss in not linking to China's new defence white paper, released last week. The world's top 100 airports, according to a passenger survey. Interesting that the first US airport is