A revived Quad won't help Australia
Australia has a perfect right to form associations, groupings, dialogues and alliances with whomever it chooses. But wise statecraft does not deal only with entitlements and rights.Migration and border policy links: World Refugee Week, internal migration, Brexit and more
This week's links also include an infographic of the world's smuggling routes and an exploration of ambivalence in Asia toward refugees.Predicting PNG’s election
It takes a brave or foolish person to predict the outcome of a PNG election. Here goes nothing.Russia is weaker than it looks
To really unleash economic growth, Russia would need institutional reforms that take on entrenched interests, rent-seeking and corruption.Lowy poll: Are we losing faith in democracy?
A drop in support for democracy, particularly among the young, may reflect rising expectations of what a democracy should be able to do.Who will abandon Taiwan next?
A ‘cascade’ of countries flowing from Taipei to Beijing isn't likely any time soon. Nonetheless, the question remains – who’s next after Panama?#WorldRefugeeWeek: How Australians feel about refugees
We concentrate on the costs and ignore the benefits refugees bring to Australian society and economy.Greek debt: kicked down the road yet again
The saga is a reminder of the international governance system's failure to produce a satisfactory procedure for international bankruptcy.Trump and Southeast Asia: Going through the motions
There is no indication that Trump’s invitations to Southeast Asian leaders were preceded by diplomacy that would resolve the underlying issues in the bilateral relationships.The democratic project under review in PNG elections
Will the O’Neill government ‘be remembered by the people of Papua New Guinea as the most decisive, action packed, transparent and accountable Government the nation has ever had’ as asserted in the Alotau Accord?Saudi succession shuffle
Today’s announcement that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has shuffled the line of succession in favour of Mohammed bin Salman is surprising but not unexpected.Georgia's voters give Republicans a shot in the arm
Five months into the Trump administration, a surge of progressive outrage has hardly translated into electoral momentum for the Democrats.RAAF’s decision on Syria raises more questions than it answers
The announcement yesterday implies that Australia has decided it no longer has the political will to apply air power in the fight against ISIS in Syria.2017 Lowy Institute Poll: Australians say global engagement and US alliance are safe – for now
The 2017 Lowy Institute Poll finds Australians have reacted to global events in a typically pragmatic way. But they are troubled about the direction of the world and divided about the way our own nation is travelling.Singapore’s informative family feud
The most startling and truly new development is the emergence of the importance of Lee Hsien Loong’s wife, Ho Ching.Understanding resilience and fragility in the South Pacific
This model forces decision-makers to compare the pre-emptive costs of intervention against the cost of restorative intervention.Italian push for early election crashes
Barring some ‘parliamentary incident’ there will be no national elections in Italy until next year, probably in March.French parliamentary vote mainly good news for New Caledonia
Both of the successful candidates referred to the need for unity among all loyalists and for dialogue with independence groups.US-China at sea incidents are likely the new normal
There has been yet another spate of US-China incidents involving US intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance probes.
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