Articles

09 Apr 2013 09:04
Asia and Pacific
Further DPRK tests a show of weakness

Rory Medcalf

If North Korea soon tests another missile or even, as some reports suggest, a fourth nuclear device, it will be a sign of regime weakness and clumsiness, not strength and cunning.
08 Apr 2013 16:04
Blogs and blogging
Monday links: Mega FTA, Indonesia's artists, Bob Carr, JSF and more

Sam Roggeveen

WikiLeaks outs Bob Carr as a US 'informant'. Based on the evidence presented, that seems like a stretch. (Thanks James.)
08 Apr 2013 15:04
Asia and Pacific
DPRK: How effective are US missile defences?

Guest Blogger

Dr Stephan Fruehling is a Senior Lecturer in the Strategic and Defence Studies Program, ANU.
08 Apr 2013 13:04
West Asia
Syria's war: Extremist proving ground

Rodger Shanahan
08 Apr 2013 11:04
Uncategorized
A firm but more flexible line on North Korea

Guest Blogger

Michael O'Hanlon is coauthor with Kenneth Lieberthal and Martin Indyk of Bending History: Barack Obama's Foreign Policy, and of a new book on the US defense budget,
08 Apr 2013 11:04
Australia in the World
Rebranding the diplomacy storefront

Guest Blogger

Katherine Ellena is a Research Associate with the US Naval Postgraduate School and a former New Zealand diplomat. The views expressed here are hers alone.
08 Apr 2013 08:04
Asia and Pacific
Reader ripostes: What's wrong with New Zealand?

Guest Blogger

Below, a response from Duncan Graham to Stephen Grenville's column of last Wednesday. But first, Dr Rick Boven writes:
05 Apr 2013 16:04
Asia and Pacific
DPRK: China pressure is the key

Malcolm Cook
05 Apr 2013 15:04
Uncategorized
Can Australia stand out from crowd in China?

Guest Blogger

Dirk van der Kley is Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's East Asia Program.
05 Apr 2013 13:04
Asia and Pacific
Korea: The perverse logic of crisis

Sam Roggeveen

Malcolm Cook is quite right to say that Pyongyang's belligerence should not be rewarded with calls for compromise, and he's also right that shows of solidarity among South Korea and its
05 Apr 2013 11:04
Asia and Pacific
Australia in the World
Grading Australia-Indonesia defence relations: Good, but could do better

James Brown

Defence Minister Stephen Smith and Foreign Minister Bob Carr have been in Jakarta this week for the annual 2-2 Australia-Indonesia talks. It was a business-as-usual dialogue, with few major announcements.
05 Apr 2013 10:04
Blogs and blogging
West Asia
India links: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Delhi metro, defence corruption, rape laws and more

Guest Blogger

Danielle Rajendram is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program whose work focuses on India and China-India relations.
05 Apr 2013 09:04
Uncategorized
Aid from traditional donors continues to fall

Guest Blogger

Philippa Brant is a Lowy Institute Research Associate.
04 Apr 2013 16:04
West Asia
Reader riposte: The real Iraq question

Guest Blogger

US Army Major Matthew Cavanaugh writes:
04 Apr 2013 15:04
Asia and Pacific
Korean Peninsula: Holding firm

Malcolm Cook

As Rory Medcalf suggested in his contribution, the reactions of countries threatened by North Korea's latest nuclear-tipped bombast are playing out better than in previous epis
04 Apr 2013 14:04
Uncategorized
What really happened in Cyprus

Guest Blogger

Dr Daniel Woker is the former Swiss Ambassador to Australia and now a Senior Lecturer at the University of St Gallen.
04 Apr 2013 11:04
Blogs and blogging
Thursday links: China growth, North Korea's ICBM, drones, Iraq and more

Sam Roggeveen

Thanks to Business Insider for linking to my North Korea missile pi
04 Apr 2013 10:04
Asia and Pacific
Korean War II? Maybe, but not likely

Rory Medcalf
04 Apr 2013 09:04
Australia in the World
Consular vs diplomatic: DFAT's dilemma

Guest Blogger

Roslyn Wells is a Sydney-based public affairs and international relations professional. She was formerly Director of Public Affairs at the Australian Consulate General, Hong Kong.
03 Apr 2013 14:04
Asia and Pacific
DPRK 'almost ready' to deploy ICBM?

Sam Roggeveen
03 Apr 2013 12:04
Uncategorized
BRICS shows G20 the way

Guest Blogger

Mike Callaghan is Director of the Lowy Institute's G20 Studies Centre.
03 Apr 2013 11:04
Blogs and blogging
Wednesday links: East China Sea, Korea, global warming, Elvis and more

Sam Roggeveen

Taiwan beefs up its East China Sea naval capabilities. What would happen if a Chinese and Taiwanese vessel tangled in waters claimed by Japan?
03 Apr 2013 10:04
Australia in the World
Australia's national interests in the Iraq war

Guest Blogger

Albert Palazzo is a Senior Research Fellow at the Land Warfare Studies Centre. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect those of the Department of Defence or the Australian Government.
03 Apr 2013 08:04
Uncategorized
What's wrong with the NZ economy?

Stephen Grenville

New Zealand pioneered economic reform. Now, nearly three decades later, some Kiwis are wondering why there has not been a bigger pay-off.
02 Apr 2013 16:04
Blogs and blogging
Tuesday links: One-child policy, Star Wars, Mali, big data, nukes and more

Sam Roggeveen

The 25 least visited countries in the world. North Korea is not as high on this list as you might think, but no.1 is a familiar name in the Australian media.
02 Apr 2013 14:04
Uncategorized
Reader riposte: Zombie international institutions

Guest Blogger

Richard Brabin-Smith, a Visiting Fellow at ANU's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, responds to Malcolm Cook's post on Zombie-like international institutions:
02 Apr 2013 12:04
Asia and Pacific
North Korea's permanent war footing

James Brown

When your country is always on a war footing, how do you know you are on the brink of war? When your political leadership and government propaganda constantly remind that your enemies are plotting against you, how do you know that times are more tense than normal?
02 Apr 2013 11:04
Uncategorized
Iraq: (Neo) conservative estimates

Rodger Shanahan
02 Apr 2013 09:04
Uncategorized
Making Australians 'fit for travel'

Guest Blogger

Ann Harrap worked for DFAT for 20 years and was most recently Australia's High Commissioner to South Africa. She is now an independent consultant.
28 Mar 2013 17:03
Uncategorized
Enjoy the Easter break

Sam Roggeveen

Like most of Australia, The Interpreter is taking a break for Easter. Normal blogging resumes next Tuesday. Sam Roggeveen
28 Mar 2013 15:03
Fiji
Fiji constitutional referendum? Unlikely

Jenny Hayward-Jones

Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has released the much anticipated Fiji draft constitution, an extensive revision of the 2012 draft
28 Mar 2013 13:03
Australia in the World
Did Australia withdraw from SEATO?

Guest Blogger

Marty Harris is the Lowy Institute's Assistant Digital Editor.
28 Mar 2013 12:03
Australia in the World
Human Rights Watch on Australia's UN Security Council challenges

Stephanie Dunstan

Following his address at the Lowy Institute last Friday (podcast & video), Human Rights Executive Director Ken Roth sat down with the Lowy Institute's Michae
28 Mar 2013 11:03
West Asia
The Iraq insurgency: A response to Michael Ware

Guest Blogger

Derek Woolner is a Visiting Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre ANU.
28 Mar 2013 10:03
Australia in the World
Australian model or Australian bubble?

Mark Thirlwell
28 Mar 2013 08:03
Uncategorized
India links: BRICS, electoral violence, Sonia Gandhi, air force crashes, Holi and more

Guest Blogger

Danielle Rajendram is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program whose work focuses on India and China-India relations.
27 Mar 2013 14:03
West Asia
Reader ripostes: Zombie institutions and Iraq

Guest Blogger

Below, Iraq commentary from Alison Broinowski and Richard Broinowski. But first, Tony Grey responds to Malcolm Cook's post on Zombie-like international institutions:
27 Mar 2013 11:03
Australia in the World
What do we want from DFAT?

Hugh White

Alex Oliver's new Policy Brief on the Consular Conundrum tells some great stories to highlight a key problem, and comes up with
27 Mar 2013 10:03
Asia and Pacific
China links: Peng Liyuan, ocean dragons, foreign policy, Brzezinski, economic data and more

Guest Blogger

Joel Wing-Lun is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's East Asia Program.
27 Mar 2013 09:03
Asia and Pacific
Burma's Muslims: A primer

Guest Blogger

Andrew Selth is a Research Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute.
26 Mar 2013 17:03
Blogs and blogging
Tuesday linkage: Xi Jinping and Tony Blair in Africa, Sesame Street and more

Sam Roggeveen

Roger Pielke: 'Looking to the energy future, one is necessarily either pro-nuclear and pro-gas (fracking) OR one is pro-carbon dioxide and pro-pollution.'
26 Mar 2013 14:03
Uncategorized
Cyprus and the euro: The first domino?

Mark Thirlwell
26 Mar 2013 13:03
West Asia
What I said, and did not say, about Iraq violence

Guest Blogger

Major Gen (Retd) Jim Molan is author of Running the War in Iraq.
26 Mar 2013 11:03
Australia in the World
Interview: Alex Oliver on her proposal for a consular levy

Sam Roggeveen

Yesterday I sat down with my colleague Alex Oliver to talk about her new Lowy Institute Policy Brief on Australia's consular conundrum (A
26 Mar 2013 09:03
Australia in the World
West Asia
Why the Iraq war was right

Guest Blogger

Alexander Downer served as Australian foreign minister from 1996 to 2007.
26 Mar 2013 08:03
Climate change
Fragile shifts in carbon tech and diplomacy

Guest Blogger

John Connor is CEO of the Climate Institute.
25 Mar 2013 16:03
Blogs and blogging
Monday links: US carbon emissions, solar, Iraq, Burma's media and more

Sam Roggeveen

US carbon emissions are at their lowest since 1995. What gives?
25 Mar 2013 14:03
Australia in the World
West Asia
We went to Iraq for ANZUS

Albert Palazzo

The views expressed here are the author's own and do not reflect those of the Department of Defence or the Australian Government.
25 Mar 2013 13:03
Uncategorized
Documentary trailer: We Steal Secrets

Sam Roggeveen

Judging by the trailer, We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is an admirably balanced treatment of the subject.
25 Mar 2013 12:03
Uncategorized
When countries go broke

Stephen Grenville

Every country has detailed procedures to govern private sector bankruptcy. These allow the residual assets of the insolvent company to be divided equitably between creditors. The insolvent party can begin again, reputation damaged but at least able to move forward with the slate wiped clean.

Pages