23 Oct 2019 06:10
Hong Kong protesters need a narrative – now
News coverage is beginning to fall away with nothing new to report, because the demonstrations alone don’t tell a story.
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22 Oct 2019 13:10
A muddled message makes it harder for Australia’s friends to trust us
An already complicated strategic realm is compounded when the government’s narrative undermines the nation’s strengths. -
22 Oct 2019 11:10
China’s own “Great Delusion”
China has turned American hubris on its head – overselling realism and nationalism while ignoring liberalism. -
22 Oct 2019 06:10
Agent of instability: Trump’s America - Podcast out now
In Episode 12 of Rules Based Audio, former US Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns discusses US foreign policy under Trump. -
21 Oct 2019 13:10
Sparks fly in Lebanon
Recent protests and wildfires are both symptoms of chronic mismanagement, corruption, and dysfunction. -
21 Oct 2019 11:10
Rumblings along the federal fault line in Solomon Islands
Reports of China “leasing an entire Pacific island” have again exposed provincial and central government divisions. -
21 Oct 2019 08:10
Facebook, the Rohingya, and internet blackouts in Myanmar
Online restrictions imposed on the Rohingya in Myanmar and in refugee camps in Bangladesh should be repealed. -
18 Oct 2019 11:10
Are free trade deals expanding a digital divide?
E-commerce is a big feature of regional trade talks, but developing countries should be wary of the pitfalls. -
18 Oct 2019 09:10
Papua New Guinea’s untold media freedom challenge
Cuts by foreign news agencies, poor resourcing and cultural hurdles for local journalists are obstacles to overcome. -
17 Oct 2019 13:10
China’s carbon emissions trading scheme: Smoke and mirrors
China has adopted a scheme to reduce carbon intensity, but that is not the most effective way to reduce CO2 emissions. -
17 Oct 2019 07:10
Iraq protests: The cost of corruption and failed reforms
The compromise that put Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi in office has entrenched patronage politics and fuelled public rage. -
16 Oct 2019 14:10
Dispatches from the front (row)
Japan – through its team and wonderful crowds – put on a rugby festival worthy of the name. -
16 Oct 2019 12:10
New Caledonia decides the timing of its second independence referendum
Loyalists and independence groups are staking out positions, with another two votes now likely. -
16 Oct 2019 10:10
Pacific links: dividends of a diplomatic switch, O’Neill warrant, more
Taiwan looks to shore up support in the region, plus other stories from across the Pacific Islands. -
16 Oct 2019 06:10
Could Australia unlock the Kashmir question?
Homilies about strengthening relationships should be matched by ambition – like in the past – to get something done. -
15 Oct 2019 14:10
Plogging along: India-China struggle to find momentum
Little of substance appeared to come from weekend talks between Modi and Xi – and maybe that’s the point. -
15 Oct 2019 12:10
Diplomatic immunity: Time to change the rules
A fatal road accident in the UK has again put a spotlight on potential abuse of a system intended to protect envoys. -
15 Oct 2019 09:10
The Wiranto attack and the ISIS impact
With events in the Middle East as a constant goad, people such as Syahrial Alamsyah will find excuses for violence. -
15 Oct 2019 06:10
“Accepting the science”, rejecting the action
If the Morrison government is on board with reducing emissions, as it seems to claim, it needs to step up its policies. -
14 Oct 2019 14:10
China and the problem with liberal values in a corporate world
Corporations will never be vanguards for free speech in a new era of ideological competition with the People’s Republic. -
14 Oct 2019 14:10
Turkey’s “safe zone” may prove costly
In Ankara’s view, the intervention in Syria has been a diplomatic and military success, but an economic risk looms. -
14 Oct 2019 10:10
US-China trade talks: No deal yet, but a breakthrough of sorts
Donald Trump has begun talking about “phases”, suggesting he has a more realistic expectation of what it is possible. -
14 Oct 2019 06:10
China and Catholicism, an unhappy marriage
Despite a deal made with the Vatican a year ago, China continues trying to shape the church in its own image. -
11 Oct 2019 12:10
The underappreciated value of Japanese aid in the Pacific
Japan has made a significant contribution to regional development, especially in managing lucrative fish stocks. -
11 Oct 2019 10:10
For China, “national reunification” with Taiwan remains a dream
Xi Jinping regularly invokes “one country, two systems” to unite China and Taiwan, yet wins little support. -
11 Oct 2019 06:10
Why does North Korea keep dragging its feet?
Pyongyang is taking a high-risk, high-reward approach to its engagement with the US. -
10 Oct 2019 15:10
PNG’s confusing budget debate
Amid claim and counter-claim, the true state of the PNG economy is lost amid personality politics. -
10 Oct 2019 14:10
Economic diplomacy: Auditing globalism, trade woes, ASEAN’s future
Measuring and managing the world economy – and Australia’s place – sees a pushback to a “negative globalism” mantra. -
10 Oct 2019 12:10
Afghan elections: Impressions from polling day
Low voter turnout and polling irregularities threaten to undermine whoever emerges as the country’s next president. -
10 Oct 2019 08:10
Asia’s diversity, made all the same
Parag Khanna’s The Future is Asian is a perfect example of “Asian Century” hype. -
09 Oct 2019 14:10
The sharp shift on Syria
To pull out from northern Syria only invites more trouble – already ISIS is seeking advantage. -
09 Oct 2019 12:10
Aid links: Rohingya crisis continues, China’s Africa education, more
Links and stories from the aid and development sector. -
09 Oct 2019 11:10
The women of ISIS and the fog of law
The case of an Australian stripped of her citizenship illustrates the complexity of handling the fallout of extremism. -
09 Oct 2019 06:10
Bougainville’s predicament, independence or not
Whatever path Bougainville follows after next month’s referendum, human development is its most urgent priority. -
08 Oct 2019 14:10
Is the Qatar blockade ruining the country’s sporting goals?
The tiny Gulf nation wants to be a world stage for sport, but a regional boycott isn’t helping. -
08 Oct 2019 12:10
US shift on Syria puts Canberra in a bind
Trump’s announcement may or may not be followed through, but it has serious implications for Australia either way. -
08 Oct 2019 06:10
The next phase of the Belt and Road: Podcast out now
In Episode 11 of Rules Based Audio, we take a look at the next phase of the Belt and Road Initiative from two sides. -
07 Oct 2019 10:10
Monday is a public holiday
Take a perch. Today is a public holiday and publishing will be light. -
07 Oct 2019 07:10
The decline of US global leadership: Power without authority
It is breathtaking just how quickly Donald Trump’s recklessness has eroded the US position in the world. -
04 Oct 2019 14:10
Scott Morrison strikes an anxious and inward-looking tone
The PM’s Lowy Lecture warning of “negative globalism” is strange, given multilateral institutions are presently so weak. -
04 Oct 2019 10:10
Afghanistan: Water management for peace
Formalising agreements with neighbouring countries over water usage will go a long way towards preventing conflict -
04 Oct 2019 06:10
Can the Pacific Islands be insured?
High exposure to natural hazards puts Pacific Island countries at heavy risk. Insurance could help them cope. -
03 Oct 2019 12:10
Democrats and impeachment: A leap of faith
Americans have grown increasingly polarised over the past 30 years, but perhaps this is a way back from the abyss. -
03 Oct 2019 10:10
Poles apart: The long shadow of US-China competition
National rivalry should not get in the way of cooperation to stop the greatest threat to polar regions – climate change. -
03 Oct 2019 07:10
Can the ICC bring justice to Myanmar?
An investigation of crimes committed in Myanmar would be a historic undertaking, but many hurdles remain. -
02 Oct 2019 15:10
Impeachment will stabilise US foreign policy
Despite all the bluster, Donald Trump’s effect on foreign affairs has been too shallow to last beyond him. -
02 Oct 2019 14:10
Jumping at shadows: The great Aussie conspiracy to bring down Donald
Australian spies among three US treaty-allies in an elaborate plot to derail the Trump campaign? Yeah, that’ll fly. -
02 Oct 2019 11:10
Pacific links: the big switch, sun-warmed mobile phones, more
The diplomatic recognition issue between China and Taiwan rolls on, plus other stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
02 Oct 2019 06:10
Violence in Papua could get worse
A province now awash in cash has spurred a migrant influx and given new sources of income to the independence movement. -
01 Oct 2019 16:10
In Sri Lanka’s election, bumps ahead
A former president’s brother leads the pack, trailed by an assassinated president’s son.