Analyses

The Pacific has become a lucrative drug corridor, driven by cartels, criminal organisations, and local gangs. Regional states and traditional partners must act rapidly and adaptively in response

The digital networks of East and Southeast Asia are increasingly dominated by China’s tech, creating social, economic, and security challenges that must be managed

Success at the Glasgow climate change conference relies on China accelerating its energy transition, and the United States and other rich countries making an effective alternative appeal to the developing world

Beijing’s maritime and aerospace capabilities will have serious implications in the event of an Indo-Pacific power play

As America’s policy choices narrow to two extremes, a new proposal for a middle path

A Joint Report of the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies and the Lowy Institute

The annual Asia Power Index — launched by the Lowy Institute in 2018 — measures resources and influence to rank the relative power of states in Asia. The project maps out the existing distribution of power as it stands today, and tracks shifts in the balance of power over time. The Index ranks

Shared concerns about China's rise have propelled Australia and India to deepen their security ties

At a time when stability and predictability are needed most, the body at the heart of the rules-based trading system — the World Trade Organization — is reeling from far more than just a paralysed Appellate Body and antagonistic Trump administration

With half the region's population aged under 23, the Pacific's 'youth bulge' will affect every area of development in the region in the coming decades

West Papuans continue to fight for independence with the support of many Pacific nations. Despite Indonesia’s opposition and the recent impact of COVID-19 on the region, the resolution of West Papuan grievances may have stalled but nationalist sentiment has not been quelled. 

The examples of Egypt and Saudi Arabia show the risks in betting on the stability of autocratic regimes in the region. 

Malaysia’s foreign and security policy faces myriad challenges, but not much is likely to change under Mahathir Mohamad’s ‘New Malaysia’ framework

As Bougainville prepares for a referendum on independence, Australia must navigate a policy response that acknowledges the history of conflict and colonialism there, Bougainville nationalism, PNG sensitivities, the principles of the guiding Bougainville Peace Agreement and new geostrategic

How the Islamic State has expanded the role of women in jihad and what that means for the future of jihad

The pressures on Indonesian democracy are not likely to abate under a second-term Jokowi or a Prabowo presidency

A maritime realignment of Australia–Indonesia defence relations could shape the broader Indo-Pacific security architecture and provide an additional strategic hedge for both countries

Indonesia has much economic potential but the trade-off between growth and stability continues to bind its growth ambitions

Without bold adjustments, Singapore’s extraordinary economic performance may prove difficult to sustain