Debating South Korea’s mandatory military service
An exemption from military service for a football star has brought global attention to a simmering social issue.
The James Ricketson trial
Watching court proceedings of a case marred by irregularities that in a country other than Cambodia might be thrown out.
Trump and rules-based order for global trade
Trump didn’t cause the problems, his presidency has just put them in the spotlight, without practical policy solutions.
China’s tech bubble
As debts mount and liquidity begins to dry up, it will soon become clear how much the growth of tech start-ups was fact.
Mahathir redux: the past guides the future
The legacy of his first stint as prime minister is shaping his second – history suggests Mahathir will remain a player.
The Rohingyas: a new terrorist threat?
There are no obvious signs refugees in squalid camps will turn to international violence – but it would only take a few.
The threat within: Pakistan’s ties to China
A suicide attack on a convoy of Chinese engines in Balochistan threatens to have far reaching economic consequences.
Pacific links: who talks, who walks, at the Forum
China-Taiwan tensions on display, journalist restrictions, and other stories from the Pacific islands region.
Lies, damn lies, and Chinese statistics
No one metric is ever going to be a good proxy for China, the place is just too complicated to be boiled down.
The Rohingya are stuck
Like the rest of us, the Rohingya need to have hope in a reasonable future for their children.
Russia’s Vostok-2018: a rehearsal for global war?
The largest military exercises in decades will see hundreds of thousands of troops in something approaching real combat.
Will Solomon Islands abandon Taiwan?
Taipei will find it increasingly hard to dispel the intangible sense the tide of history is running in China’s favour.
Regional security dilemma in the Pacific
Pacific leaders are openly despairing of Australia’s climate change policy and markedly differ on security priorities.
No safe return for Rohingya refugees
A larger struggle over the “soul” of the Myanmar state and society greatly limits the scope for international influence.
New Caledonia’s referendum: the delicate dance
Emmanuel Tjibaou, son of an assassinated Kanak independence leader, speaks on New Caledonia’s identity and art.
Beleaguered Bangladesh and big neighbour trouble
A register to record citizens in India’s Assam raises fears four million Bengali-speaking residents could be forced out.
Lessons of yet another Indonesian blasphemy case
Corruption permeates the Indonesian courts, making the perception of a country abiding the rule of law a sad illusion.
Asia’s order beyond the great powers
What might be called second tier players, when acting together, can have a profound influence to shape the region.
Weekend catch-up: John McCain’s legacy and more
Julie Bishop’s foreign ministership, Belt and Road branding and “birth tourism”: the week that was on The Interpreter.
A life in fear: violence against adolescent girls
The Lake Chad humanitarian crisis is severe – and peace will only be found by listening to those most vulnerable.
South Korea’s demographic deficit
Declining birth rates and an aging population will see nation’s workforce shrink, and challenge male-focused attitudes.
Chinese “birth tourism” shows citizenship evolves
Pregnant mothers seeking US citizenship for kids raises compelling questions about belonging but is hardly nefarious.
The chance to urge religious freedom in Indonesia
On his trip to Jakarta, Scott Morrison should raise the disturbing trend to repress religious minorities in Indonesia.
Economic diplomacy: Indonesia, trade deals and TPP
After a breakthrough with Jakarta, will Aussie-trained Indonesian workers be welcomed into Australia to improve skills?
New Caledonia: boycotts and blockade
Divisions have marred preparations for the November independence referendum despite effort to seed habits of dialogue.
Australia right to question Manning visa
Manning is not a whistleblower. She is someone convicted of espionage who was given a long prison sentence.
Libyan elections: another Gaddafi
Saif Gaddafi faces difficult obstacles, including his father's legacy, to challenge for the presidency of Libya.
The swooning over McCain is more about Trump
He gave in to the worst of the American right, but in media memory, John McCain represents an earlier Republican party.
Belt and Road: China’s biggest brand
The Belt and Road Initiative is foremost a marketing tool, often applied retrospectively, and aimed at a home audience.
Aid links: political change and adjustment, more
Julie Bishop’s foreign aid legacy, UK realignment, statistics in a changing world and links from the development sector.
Why is India building the world’s tallest statue?
Ballooning costs amid global competition for bragging rights should prompt India to invest more in existing attractions.
Julie Bishop: buffeted by headwinds
Bishop struggled at times to find the right tone in response to an inward-looking America and a muscular China.
Kofi Annan: great expectations
Annan would sometimes wryly joke the abbreviation used within the United Nations for his position stood for “scapegoat”.
No, Australia has not caught the Trump bug
Rather than an outsider, Peter Dutton is a party loyalist who tried to rescue his party against a wealthy outsider.
Indonesia: running mates spark controversy
As the election race heats up, the economy is Jokowi’s likely vulnerability; meanwhile Prabowo boosts campaign coffers.
India: the north-south disparity
Engaging India means recognising vast differences between culturally diverse states and varied governance standards.
Julie Bishop and her place in the history books
Her achievements lie in the goals she chose to pursue, which she then pursued with determination and rigour.
John McCain: death of a hero
A solid Republican with a maverick streak, McCain was a tireless advocate of strong alliances, including with Australia.
Weekend catch-up: Yes, Prime Minister (again)
Political upheaval in Australia, sports diplomacy gone wrong, remembering Kofi Annan: the week on The Interpreter.
The world won’t wait for Scott Morrison
After an extraordinary week at home, the new PM will need to contend with a pressing international calendar.
Huawei in Australia: the 5G fear
Blocking Chinese telecommunications firms from the new mobile network again exposes a wider trust problem.
Soft power and reviewing Australia’s global appeal
A challenge for a new review is to agree what we mean by soft power, how to measure it, and to put it into practice.
What did the 2008 crisis cost America?
A new study attempts to put a number on the ongoing cost of an enormously costly episode of misguided policies.
How Peter Dutton changes Australian foreign policy
He could soon be leading the country in volatile times but what does Peter Dutton think of the world beyond the border?
New faces and absent friends in Pacific diplomacy
The agenda of the recent Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting in Apia was marked as much by those attending as those missing.
Geoeconomics isn’t back – it never went away
We can no longer simply assume that what’s good for America is good for the world.
The dark side of the Asian Games
A costly gloss of glitz and glamour for Jakarta’s sports diplomacy cannot disguise some ugly challenges Indonesia faces.
Dollars for Syria
Given that all signs point to Bashar al-Assad staying in power, who pays for reconstruction becomes a thorny question.
Rights for people forced out by climate change
The Global Migration Compact puts environmental displacement on the agenda, even if it lacks legal force.
Prime Ministerial persistence: Australia vs PNG
So much for the “arc of instability”, a PM in Port Moresby now outlasts an Australian counterpart.