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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 10 hours ago
    • Japan

    “Predatory cult”: the shadow of Unification Church over Abe’s funeral

    Lydia Khalil
    Researcher Sarah Hightower explains Japan’s reckoning over the influence of a controversial sect in Japanese politics.
  • 14 hours ago
    • Pacific Islands

    The president vs the judge: How Kiribati came to a constitutional standoff

    Anna Dziedzic
    Judicial independence and access to justice is at risk as judges face deportation and suspension from office.
  • 18 hours ago
    • Iran

    After Mahsa Amini’s death, Iran protests signal a generational shift

    Paymon Azmoudeh
    The regime is struggling to contain demonstrations that demand nothing less than an end to the Islamic Republic.
  • 1 day ago
    • India
    • Nepal

    Animal attractions: India confronts a neighbourhood dilemma

    Aarti Betigeri
    Wildlife doesn’t care for political boundaries, but nationalism can prove a stubborn obstacle to conservation efforts.
  • 1 day ago
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    Taiwan: Biden risks talking himself into a war he cannot win

    Hugh White
    The military balance is shifting China’s way, and half-abandoning a policy of strategic ambiguity won’t change that.
  • 2 days ago
    • Russia
    • Digital Disruption
    • Technology
    • United Nations

    A neck-and-neck election for the future of the internet

    Mercedes Page
    As the war in Ukraine goes from bad to worse, Russia may still win a vote to reshape the net as we know it.
  • 2 days ago
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Ukraine conflict: turning point?

    Ian Hill
    Putin’s new escalatory threats and the near-existential battle for Russia and its president.
  • 23 Sep 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Global Economy
    • Multilateral Development Banks
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Six reasons to be cautious about Australia establishing a DFI

    Jenny Gordon
    As soon as public money is on the table, there will be a line of players looking to “clip the ticket”.
  • 23 Sep 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Sex and Gender

    Economic diplomacy: Womenomics shifts from Tokyo to Jakarta

    Greg Earl
    Can a female finance minister in Indonesia avoid the demographic dilemma that has handicapped Japan’s evolution?
  • 22 Sep 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Indonesia's Economy
    • Australia and Climate Change
    • Climate change

    Making sense of Indonesia’s fuel riots

    Eduard Lazarus
    Cutting subsidies is a step in the right direction, but a more robust social safety net is ultimately a better fix.
  • 22 Sep 2022
    • Terrorism

    Right-wing extremists: the danger not of bombs but ballots

    Daniel Byman
    The movement is clearly capable of violence yet proved divided and poorly trained. But campaigning is another matter.
  • 21 Sep 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Climate change
    • United Nations

    Guterres whistles in the wind

    Mark Beeson
    Yes, “our planet is burning”, yet those leaders with the power to act are stubbornly guarding their own little patch.
  • 21 Sep 2022
    • Bangladesh
    • Myanmar
    • Human rights
    • International law

    The Rohingya issue requires a regional solution

    David Brewster
    Leaving close to a million people in limbo poses a danger not only for the refugees but to regional peace.
  • 21 Sep 2022
    • Central Asia
    • China
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    The war in Ukraine is pushing Central Asia away from Russia

    Bermet Talant
    Russia’s loss has been China’s gain.
  • 20 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • The Biden Presidency
    • United States

    What does Biden mean on Taiwan?

    Robert Ayson
    When Washington doesn’t speak with one voice, its powers of strategic ambiguity are slowly chipped away.
  • 20 Sep 2022
    • Defence & Security

    Blue-sky thinking on the Defence Strategic Review

    Victor Abramowicz
    A broader view of security offers enormous potential benefits for Australia.
  • 19 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Russia

    China’s ungainly balancing act with Russia

    Michael Clarke
    The promise is a “no limits” friendship. But there are evident boundaries, all the same.
  • 19 Sep 2022
    • India
    • Sri Lanka
    • Asylum Seekers

    Concern for Sri Lankans fleeing to India amid economic crisis

    Prarthana Sen
    A close haven carries appeal, but can life ever be settled without a legal status?
  • 19 Sep 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Australian Development Assistance
    • Australian Foreign Aid

    Five reasons Australia should establish a Development Finance Institution

    Roland Rajah
    A DFI would expand Canberra’s development toolkit and re-establish the country as a serious financing partner in Asia.
  • 16 Sep 2022
    • Global Issues

    Disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific

    Renee Dodds
    Consulting people with disabilities about their experience and needs is a first step in leading preparations.
  • 16 Sep 2022
    • Global Economy
    • IMF
    • Transnational Challenges

    Digital finance makes international cooperation even more important

    Jenny Gordon
    In a world without physical cash, differing standards for digital currencies risk creating exclusionary trade blocs.
  • 16 Sep 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • Terrorism

    Bali 2002: When global terrorism first came close to home

    Ian Kemish
    An extraordinary consular response followed the deadly attack – lessons of crisis that would become all too familiar.
  • 15 Sep 2022
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Fiji
    • Solomon Islands
    • Vanuatu

    Why Indonesia’s engagement with Pacific countries matters

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    Sovereignty, trust and mutual benefit are all at stake when so many regions come together under the Indo-Pacific banner.
  • 15 Sep 2022
    • Diplomacy
    • Technology

    Computational diplomacy - the science of an art?

    Roland Bouffanais , Sun Sun Lim
    Vast troves of historical data exist on negotiations and responses and agreements. The trick is a means to read it.
  • 14 Sep 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Terrorism

    Twenty years after Bali

    Sidney Jones
    Indonesia’s police, military and prisons were altered by the 2002 attack. Democratic backsliding may signal an undoing.
  • 14 Sep 2022
    • Asean
    • Southeast Asia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament

    Has Southeast Asia warmed to AUKUS one year on?

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    The shock of surprise has faded and a new tone from new voices may ease some concerns. But objections remain.
  • 14 Sep 2022
    • India
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • Trade
    • United States

    The Quad needs a stronger economic message

    Rena Sasaki
    Trade is the path to regional prosperity, but the four partners stand divided on how this can be achieved.
  • 13 Sep 2022
    • Asia
    • Energy

    Powerhouse: clean energy transitions in the Indo-Pacific

    Parul Bakshi
    Energy security is shifting to new interdependencies based on alternate fuels and rare earths.
  • 13 Sep 2022
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    AUKUS, one year on

    Sam Roggeveen
    Australians deserve the details of what nuclear-powered submarines mean – for national defence and identity alike.
  • 12 Sep 2022
    • Terrorism
    • Transnational Challenges
    • Review

    Understanding global right-wing extremism

    William Allchorn
    Tackling the threat first means appreciating the scope, appeal and transnational character of the narratives driving it.
  • 12 Sep 2022
    • United Kingdom

    History, one tribute at a time

    Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo
    Reactions to the Queen’s death reflect our complex attitudes to the United Kingdom.
  • 12 Sep 2022
    • Asean
    • China
    • Southeast Asia
    • United States

    US-China rivalry in Southeast Asia need not be a zero-sum game

    Thi Mai Anh Nguyen
    The big powers should pay more attention to the cooperative instincts of regional partners.
  • 9 Sep 2022
    • Central Asia
    • China
    • India
    • Russia

    The SCO: an illiberal club of growing global significance

    Nick Bisley
    A likely face-to-face meeting between Putin, Xi and Modi will be an uncomfortable sight for Quad partners.
  • 9 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Human rights
    • United Nations

    Beijing three-step: China denies, deflects and dissembles on Xinjiang

    Michael Clarke
    The UN human rights report has exposed China’s hollow propaganda claims – but won’t stop them.
  • 9 Sep 2022
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    Queen Elizabeth II: For Country and Commonwealth

    Simon Heffer
    From the Suez crisis to dicing with dictators – a steady reign spanning seven decades of constant global change.
  • 8 Sep 2022
    • Japan
    • North Korea
    • South Korea

    Can Seoul and Tokyo mend ties?

    Gabriela Bernal
    Defence talks this week are a good sign. But a lot of history stands in the way of cooperation, even over North Korea.
  • 8 Sep 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Australia's Economy
    • Migration
    • Pacific Islands

    Economic diplomacy: Nation building at home and abroad

    Greg Earl
    A jobs summit highlighted the challenges in crafting a foreign policy for the middle class and balanced development aid.
  • 8 Sep 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    The missing foreign policy debate in PNG’s 2022 elections

    Patrick Kaiku , Trisha Yangawi , Bernard Yegiora
    Limited knowledge and paucity of interest is a concern, not just for local accountability but also for other countries.
  • 7 Sep 2022
    • Pakistan

    The strange case of a missing Bentley and sinking corruption in Pakistan

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    As the country struggles with the aftermath of devastating floods, an alleged international heist adds to local anger.
  • 7 Sep 2022
    • North Korea
    • Coronavirus

    North Korea’s politics defeats Covid … almost

    Khang Vu
    In one of the world’s most isolated countries, there’s no escaping microbiology, even when you’re the Chairman.
  • 7 Sep 2022
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • Southeast Asia

    Debating Southeast Asia’s future

    Susannah Patton
    Insights from six of the region’s most interesting economic thinkers show the pathway to collective growth is not clear.
  • 6 Sep 2022
    • China
    • North Korea
    • Russia
    • Review

    China, Russia and North Korea: the wars that never end

    Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo
    A new book explores pride and defiance as weapons of history in the world’s socialist and autocratic bloc.
  • 6 Sep 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Asean
    • Timor-Leste

    José Ramos-Horta's Australian visit: a checklist

    Parker Novak
    The Greater Sunrise LNG field will top his agenda, along with economic diversification and ASEAN membership.
  • 5 Sep 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • The Americas

    If Brazil’s ambassador could seed a few ideas with the Prime Minister 

    Daniel Flitton
    Australia has a growing personal connection to the South American giant, with diplomatic ties yet to catch up.
  • 5 Sep 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Global Economic Governance
    • Digital Disruption
    • International law
    • Technology

    Web3 is coming – with national security implications, too

    Sasha Fegan
    A new internet for the people and by the people is on the horizon. But decentralised power has its own problems.
  • 5 Sep 2022
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Migration

    The right tools for a coherent regional response to forced migration

    Caitlin McCaffrie
    Reforming the Bali Process will provide a genuine forum for Australia and partners to prepare ahead of the next crisis.
  • 2 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Human rights
    • United Nations

    A tragedy in Xinjiang, a tragedy for the UN

    Mercedes Page
    A long-delayed report finding human rights abuses – though damning – is a sign of China’s level of influence at the United Nations.
  • 2 Sep 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy

    “Should democracies ever lie?” Sort of. Maybe. Not really

    Hugh Piper
    Bending the truth corrupts confidence in democratic institutions and risks a race to the bottom.
  • 2 Sep 2022
    • European Union
    • Germany
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    A new solidarity? Olaf Scholz on the future of Europe

    Marcus Colla
    Acknowledging the continent’s centre is “moving eastwards” marked the German chancellor’s address as visionary, of sorts.
  • 1 Sep 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Russia
    • United States

    Downer, Turnbull, Trump and a poke in the Five Eyes

    Daniel Flitton
    Just a diplomat doing his job? A new book puts the spotlight back on Australia, Russia and interference in the US election.
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