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The Pentagon recently released new details about a 1.8 gigapixel surveillance camera it has mounted on a drone. Here's an extract from a PBS documentary that gives you an idea of what that means in practice: On first viewing, there is a certain 'gee whiz' factor to this camera and its

Dr Daniel Woker is the former Swiss Ambassador to Australia and now a Senior Lecturer at the University of St Gallen. Mali might not be Afghanistan, but a country just south of the empty Sahara is geographically much closer to Europe. Refugees and, with a certain delay, economic migrants from

Two decades ago, monetary policy seemed to have reached the 'end of history': it had evolved an optimal format from which no further refinement seemed necessary. The two key elements were a focus on low inflation and central bank independence as the means of separating monetary policy from political

The 2012 Global Think Tank Index is out, with the Lowy Institute ranked 44th out of 1647 think tanks nominated worldwide. Mali is not Afghanistan and an Islamist take-over would have local but not global consequences. US Secretary of State-nominee John Kerry's statement to the Senate Foreign

From British Prime Minister David Cameron's speech announcing his proposal for a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU: What Churchill described as the twin marauders of war and tyranny have been almost entirely banished from our continent. Today, hundreds of millions dwell in freedom

David Cameron's unsentimental EU speech. Does the G20 have too much on its plate? Democracy Arsenal continues the debate, responding to this Interpreter post. Reviewing Kim Jung Un's first year as North Korean leader: 'The Ice Age in North Korea is coming to an end. Although the pace of change is

Concerns over Iran's nuclear program, proven support for Shi'a groups in Lebanon and Iraq, support for the Assad regime in Syria and alleged support for just about every other opposition group in the region will ensure that, just as in 2012, Iran will continue to feature as the main security focus

Google head honcho Eric Schmidt went to Pyongyang recently, taking his daughter. This is her evocative account of the visit. (Thanks James.) Osama bin Laden's last victory over America: Matt Taibbi writes as only he can about Zero Dark Thirty. Anyone seen it and want to offer their views?

This is part 3 of Mark's thirteen suggestions (in no particular order) of things to look out for in the global economy this year. Part 1 is here, part 2 is here.    9. Keep an eye on oil prices Despite some signs that the world is less sensitive to oil price hikes than it used to be, the

This is part 2 of Mark's thirteen suggestions (in no particular order) of things to look out for in the global economy this year. Part 1 is here. 5. China's growth prospects We spent quite a lot of 2012 on The Interpreter debating China's growth outlook, wondering whether last year's

Dr Daniel Woker is the former Swiss Ambassador to Australia and now a Senior Lecturer at the University of St Gallen. Following a path-breaking Australian court judgment against Standard & Poors (S&P), Stephen Grenville, in a blog post on 14 November, notes how credit rating agencies (CRAs), 'by

Thanks to the folk at the Asia New Zealand Foundation for alerting me to this world exclusive from Beer & Brewer Magazine. It's the New Zealand Foreign Ministry's reply to an FOI requests asking for 'a list of every New Zealand beer brand served at each New Zealand Embassy, High Commission or

Mike Callaghan is Director of the Lowy Institute's G20 Studies Centre. Mark Thirlwell is Director of the Lowy Institute's International Economy Program and a G20 Studies Centre Fellow. Is the G20 agenda expanding too widely at a time when its top priority should be on reinvigorating global

  Unemployment in Ireland, Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal. The above graph (h/t RCW and Early Warning) reminds us that the policy failures Stephen Grenville described in his piece earlier today are, above all, an enormous human tragedy. But there's slightly Brechtian subtext to Stephen's

Dirk van der Kley is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's East Asia Program. For almost a decade, China's SOEs have blocked plans to make wealth distribution more equal because they don't want to lose tax concessions. Since Tiananmen in 1989, people in China have seldom gathered so

Since the subject of James Bond came up earlier this week, why not this? Enjoy your weekend

Danielle Rajendram is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program whose work focuses on India and China-India relations. The gang-rape protests in New Delhi continue to dominate the Indian media. My picks for some of the best reading on the larger problems women

I realise it's slightly late to be reviewing the latest Bond caper, but I saw Skyfall over the festive season, and since I haven't yet seen any reviews that tackle one particular political aspect of the film, I thought I would raise it. Some spoilers follow, so I'll put the remaining text below

The fact that the new sitcom 1600 Penn is being screened at the White House tells you that it probably won't be too cutting, and indeed, the trailer is far from screamingly funny and looks a bit derivative. Pass

The US wants to solve its debt problems by minting a $1 trillion coin? Simpsons did it. Could drones spell the end for courier companies? (H/t Kottke.) Why I love the blogosphere: you come across gems on niche subjects such as History is Made at Night: The Politics of Dancing and Musicking. (H/t

Economists are the butt of much mirth about their forecasting ability, but the recent performance may be getting beyond a joke. Failing to predict the precise outcome is one thing: being consistently wrong in the same direction is harder to explain, and very unhelpful for the policy-making

Colleague Milton Osborne tells me The Irrawaddy is now on sale in Burma. Here's a recent piece surveying China's dam building on the Mekong and beyond. A clever cover design for Penguin's new edition of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Ten trends to watch for in China in 2013. No. 8 will be