This week saw the US and EU agree to launch talks on what has been described as potentially the 'biggest bilateral trade deal in history.'

Jim Della-Giacoma is the Asia Program Director for International Crisis Group.

Geoff Miller is a former Director-General of the Office of National Assessments.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke sent a shiver through financial markets worldwide late last month when he said that if the Fed saw 'real and sustainable improvement in the labour market' it could 'take a step down' in the

Simone van Nieuwenhuizen is a Master of International Relations (Diplomacy) candidate at Peking University.

Susanne Schmeidl is co-founder of the Afghan NGO, The Liaison Office.

Steve Weintz responds to this video of Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Fullilove talking at the launch of Michael's new book,

Samantha Crompvoets is a sociologist, a research fellow in the ANU Medical School and a contractor to the Department of Defence.

Paul Harper from Phnom Penh writes:

Danielle Rajendram is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program.

There's a certain sameness to city-themed timelapse videos, but these two are both beautifully shot and edited, and the Shanghai one in particular takes things in some unexpected directions. Both are best viewed in full screen.

Dr Daniel Woker is the former Swiss Ambassador to Australia and now a Senior Lecturer at the University of St Gallen.

Jonathan Pain is author of The Pain Report and has 29 years of international investment experience. He was born in South Africa and lived in Lesotho, Swaziland, England, Bahrain and now Australia.

The global economy is in the midst of an unprecedented macroeconomic policy experiment based on unconventional monetary policy marked by a combination of high public debt, near-ze

The meeting between Presidents Obama and Xi in Palm Springs over the weekend presented another opportunity to berate China for its international economic imbalances, but the two presidents sensibly found more fruitful things to talk about.

The privacy vs security debate that has been opened up by The Guardian's revalations about NSA snooping reminds me of Scott Adams' unconventional

Big Brother? Not so much. A contrarian take on the NSA online surveillance story.

Cecelia O'Brien responds to last Friday's Defence in Depth video:

Dougal Robinson is a Lowy Institute defence intern.

Nick Alexander, a former UN and Lowy Institute intern, is a University of Sydney Juris Doctor candidate.

Philippa Brant is a Research Associate at the Lowy Institute.

Much has been made of the fact that the Chinese and American presidents are meeting in informal surroundings on Friday at the Sunnylands retreat, the former estate of Walter Annenberg in Rancho Mirage, California.