Articles | Lowy Institute

6 hours ago
Global Economy

Geo-economics

United States
Economic statecraft with American characteristics

Mark Beeson , Van Jackson

The United States keeps pitching Asia regional deals for economic arrangements that are not politically viable at home.
16 hours ago
Middle East Conflict

Israel
Hamas's position is stronger than many think

Ben Scott

Hamas has demonstrated surprising resilience and capability since its founding in 1987. It would be a mistake to believe it can be eliminated.
22 hours ago
Energy

Climate change

Qatar

United Arab Emirates
The regional realignment on display at COP28

Achref Chibani

Middle East nations that built riches on fossil fuels are now presenting as friends for the Global South in an energy transition.
1 day ago
North Korea

South Korea
The extra bad news behind the latest Korean break-down

Gabriela Bernal

Suspending the 2018 inter-Korean military accord not only fuels mistrust but shows neither side is looking for an off-ramp.
1 day ago
Indonesia

Technology
Here come the SuperApps

Hilman Palaon

Indonesia’s experience with TikTok shows the challenges posed by social media-e-commerce hybrids.
1 day ago
China

Global Economy

Debt

Global Issues

United States
Rise of the Redback

Selwyn Parker

The US dollar remain the dominant currency. But China – and others – are driving the yuan as an alternative.
2 days ago
Pacific Islands

Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Learning the lessons of language

Hannah Sarvasy

Preserving PNG’s linguistic kaleidoscope is as much a connection with the past as a path to the future.
24 Nov 2023
North Korea

Defence & Security

Russia
Russia-North Korea: Closer, but not too close

Ian Hill

Gushing portrayals of a revived relationship should be treated with caution.
24 Nov 2023
Asean

Climate change

Environment

Sustainability

Technology
Driving the energy transition within ASEAN

Nadira Asrifa , Ahmad Munawir Siregar

Transportation is the life-blood of the regional economy but also a big contributor to environmental costs.
24 Nov 2023
Debt

Climate change
De-risking developing country debt

Roland Rajah , Riley Duke

Debt suspension clauses should be rolled out by Western lenders, including Australia.
24 Nov 2023
Aid & Development

China

Taiwan

Pacific Islands

Sex and Gender
China and Taiwan are big Pacific donors – but not for gender equality

Jessica Collins

More clarity on the flows of funds would help to assign what little credit is due.
23 Nov 2023
India

Australia

Canada

United States
A delicate dance: latest India allegations test the rules

Daniel Flitton

How far can “strategic trust” be stretched?
23 Nov 2023
Asia

Australia

Global Economy

Trade

United States
Economic diplomacy: Hits and misses for Project Diversify

Greg Earl

India and Vietnam are the rising new trade partners as business cools on China amid new American protectionism.
23 Nov 2023
Climate change

United Nations
Global Goal on Adaptation: Shaping a new framework at COP28

Georgia Hammersley , Melanie Pill

Crafting a common metric might be a negotiator’s nightmare but it’s never been more urgent to help the world's most vulnerable.
23 Nov 2023
Technology

Pacific Islands

China and the Pacific

Fiji

Nauru

Papua New Guinea

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu
Digital dominoes: Australia’s strategic play in the Pacific

Mihai Sora

Enhancing the region’s digital connectivity goes beyond influence. It’s about sharing prosperity and security, too.
22 Nov 2023
India
Run out: Modi’s cricket dream over

David Vallance , Teesta Prakash

Who said politics and sport don’t mix?
22 Nov 2023
China

Chinese Trade

Myanmar

Southeast Asia

Thailand

Trade and Investment in the Asia Pacific

Australia and Asia

Quad

Australian trade, investment & economy

Trade
Why is Myanmar’s new deep-sea port such hot property?

Shaun Cameron

An alternative route to the Strait of Malacca offers China, and others, a safer, faster and more efficient trade route.
22 Nov 2023
Recommendations
The Fix: Seeking impact

Robert Walker

Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources and helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed.
22 Nov 2023
Aid & Development

Australia

Pacific Islands

Sex and Gender
Does Australia’s walk match its talk about helping Pacific women advance?

Jessica Collins

Big dollars are one thing, meaningful outcomes another.
21 Nov 2023
Australia

Space exploration
Australia and space: A step together for the whole nation

Catherine Wood

A national space policy is needed to ensure Australia consistently engages across government, industry and global partners alike.
21 Nov 2023
Pacific Islands
A Pacific “zone of peace” – what will it entail?

Patrick Kaiku , Faith Hope Boie

An effort is underway to ensure Pacific concepts are not co-opted by geopolitical competition.
21 Nov 2023
China

India

Sustainability
A fragile lifeline: India and China must collaborate on water

Neeraj Singh Manhas

More robust agreements to share the precious resource will result in a win-win for both countries.
20 Nov 2023
China

Australia

Defence & Security
Sonar reports much more than a blip in Australia’s relations with China

Rahman Yaacob

The latest incident, the first to injure Australian military personnel, appears to signal China’s willingness to test the red line.
20 Nov 2023
Australia

Diplomacy
What roles should sport play in Australia’s image and diplomacy?

Stuart Murray

The government has dropped the ball in the strategic opportunity presented by sports.
20 Nov 2023
Aid & Development

Australia

Pacific Islands

Sex and Gender
Pacific Aid Map: Big data gaps are skewing the story about women

Jessica Collins

Better reporting is needed to properly understand which projects are targeting gender issues in the region.
20 Nov 2023
Middle East Conflict

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Lebanon

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

United Arab Emirates

Yemen
The war in Gaza has not destroyed normalisation … for now

Lydia Khalil

Despite deepening hostilities, common strategic interests still bind Israel and most of the Arab states.
20 Nov 2023
United Kingdom
The Chagos dilemma

David Vallance

Duelling dynasties, violations of international law, and great power dynamics leave dispossessed Chagossians in limbo.
18 Nov 2023
China

South China Sea

Australia

Australian Navy

Defence & Security
China’s sonar pulse poses another test of Australia’s will

Sam Roggeveen

Even with international law on its side, Australia is still grappling with the conundrum of whether might makes right.
17 Nov 2023
United Kingdom

Review
Practising politics in a moral wilderness

Mark Pierce

Yes Minister, indeed.
17 Nov 2023
United Nations

Space exploration
Making space arms control work

Cassandra Steer

After a decades-long deadlock, the past two years have seen a giant leap forward in international negotiations.
17 Nov 2023
Aid & Development

Southeast Asia

Australia

Pacific Islands
Australian development cooperation: Urgent and important, but “not a priority”

Richard Moore

Development policy contradictions reveal the failure of the DFAT-AusAID integration.
16 Nov 2023
Australia

Energy

Climate change

Sustainability
Albanese is right to reject fossil fuel phaseouts

Lachlan Carey

The politics of climate change has to be paired with grasping the economics, too.
16 Nov 2023
Debt

G20
The G20’s approach on debt has failed

Mariza Cooray , Robert Walker

The “Common Framework” shows the perils of announcing solutions before governments have them.
16 Nov 2023
India

Middle East

Israel
India’s Gaza dilemma

Henry Storey

The Israeli–Palestinian conflict exposes a gap between New Delhi’s Global South leadership aspirations and its realpolitik.
15 Nov 2023
Australia

Diplomacy
The foreign policy case for the PM to spend more time at home

Daniel Flitton

Instead of tall poppy syndrome, ask about effectiveness.
15 Nov 2023
China

Australia
How China’s media reported Albanese’s visit

Bob Tan

Some messages appear subtle – others, expectedly blunt.
15 Nov 2023
Human rights

Migration

Technology

Transnational Challenges
Human trafficking: Harnessing technology to help those most vulnerable

Cate Sumner

Delivering legal services to victims often means overcoming barriers in language, information and distance.
15 Nov 2023
Europe

Coronavirus

Recommendations
The Fix: On the origin of species

Richard McGregor

Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources and helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed.
15 Nov 2023
Australia

European Union

United Kingdom

Technology

United States
The Bletchley Park artificial intelligence summit: Good optics, less substance

José-Miguel Bello y Villarino , Kimberlee Weatherall

A jumbled collection of commonplace platitudes does not a remarkable outcome make.
14 Nov 2023
Australia

Pacific Islands

Tuvalu
A Pacific union: Australia-Tuvalu deal goes well beyond climate

Donald R Rothwell

This tailored arrangement has implications for AUKUS, legal proceedings, as well as the potential resettlement of climate refugees.
14 Nov 2023
Japan

Philippines

Maritime Security
Japan’s new golden age in Southeast Asia

Richard Javad Heydarian

Tokyo’s recent geopolitical assertiveness cements its position as a regional security and economic powerhouse.
14 Nov 2023
Australia

Maritime Security

Trade
Australia needs to resource a merchant fleet

Richard Dunley

Virtually all Australia’s trade moves by sea, yet relies almost exclusively on foreign flagged and foreign owned vessels.
13 Nov 2023
Administration
University challenge: Win tickets to the 2023 Lowy Lecture and Dinner

The Interpreter

Write us your best caption for a chance to see Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
13 Nov 2023
Australia

Cyber Security
What can – and should – we expect from Australia’s new cyber security strategy?

Miah Hammond-Errey , Tom Barrett

International alignment and coordination will be key to countering cyber threats that have no respect for land borders.
13 Nov 2023
China – Belt and Road Initiative

China
Belt and Road 2.0

Grace Stanhope

China’s Belt and Road Forum last month showed the initiative is not dead but changing shape.
13 Nov 2023
Middle East Conflict

Russia

Ukraine

Middle East

Israel

United States
1947 and now

Steve Casey

Strife in the Middle East, hyper-partisans in the US Congress, and Russian troops on the march. We've been here before.
10 Nov 2023
China

Australia
The Coalition risks the general’s lament, of fighting the last war over China policy

James Laurenceson , Michael Clarke

Labor was right to suspend the WTO case against Beijing and should not be gulled into a confrontational stance.
10 Nov 2023
Middle East Conflict

Israel
Israel-Palestine: It’s not too late for the two-state solution

Ben Scott

But the world can’t expect Washington to make it happen.
10 Nov 2023
Australia

Asylum Seekers

Migration
Where did the Afghan refugees go – and where next?

Sadiq Amini

While the world is still figuring out the politics, the people are paying the price.
10 Nov 2023
China

Australia

Diplomacy
China-Australia: Smartening up people-to-people links

Angela Lehmann

Universities play an essential role in everyday diplomacy, fostering a genuine affection between the two countries.