Review
India’s underperforming ties to Vietnam
Book Review: India-Vietnam Relations: Development Dynamics and Strategic Alignment, by Reena Marwah and Le Thi Hang Nga (Springer Nature, 2021)
In Vietnamese culture dissent…
What “Utopia” got wrong about China and defence policy
You’ve probably seen it on Twitter or Instagram. Maybe a friend emailed it to you, or maybe you were the sender. It gets waved around social media like a talisman that can settle…
Fiji: lessons under a dictator’s heel
Book review: Prisoner 302: A Fijian Prime Minister’s Story of his Life, of Military Rebellion, National Oppression and a Handful of Miracles, by Laisenia Qarase (2022)
The…
Binary error: How and why governments need a cyber security rethink
Book Review: Cyber Persistence Theory: Redefining National Security in Cyberspace, by Michael P. Fischerkeller, Emily O. Goldman and Richard J. Harknett (Oxford University Press,…
Why do we travel to unsettling places?
When visiting the demilitarised zone between the Koreas, there is the option to have your own North Korean defector as a tour guide. Tasteless? Or a good way to find employment…
How an Australian freed an unfinished nation’s history
Book review: Indonesia out of Exile: How Pramoedya’s Buru Quartet Killed a Dictatorship, by Max Lane (Penguin, 2023)
Australia’s relationships with Indonesia are usually…
Avenging the century of humiliation, one artefact at a time
Book review: Portrait of a Thief, by Grace D. Li (Penguin Random House, 2022)
In 1860, the Second Opium War culminated in British and French troops sacking the Old Summer…
Pop culture politics: How to Interpret 2022
Missed the headline? Hollywood star Angelina Jolie is stepping down after more than 20 years as ambassador for the UN refugee agency. It’s fine, because India’s celebrities are…
How to Interpret 2022: Russia invades Ukraine
Across dozens of articles published this year, The Interpreter has analysed unfolding events following Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and brutal campaign in Ukraine – from the sudden…
Seeking independence: three books to read this summer
In her book, Becoming, Michelle Obama revealed that her husband, former United States President Barack Obama, has about eight books on the go to read at any time. I’ve lived a…