Assessing Duterte’s China investment drive
Separating the PRC and Hong Kong when calculating Chinese investment in the Philippines has major consequences.
New Zealand’s P-8 purchase: straddling the gap
New Zealand could change to a strategic “front line” if geopolitical competition in the South Pacific hots up.
Boris Johnson exits. Pass the salt.
Johnson still displays a twinge of anxiety in his effusive praise of British strength.
Syria: extinguishing the flame of the revolution
Bashar al-Assad faces more challenges, but momentum in military campaigns is a difficult thing to stop.
New Caledonia: decolonisation in conversation
Locals in New Caledonia share their views about the territory’s prospects ahead of the November ballot on independence.
The domestic politics of New Zealand’s defence
It’s not China that animates New Zealand’s latest defence policy statement.
US Navy sails into Taiwan sunset
Whereas in 1996 America’s affirmations of support for Taiwan were genuine, they are now a bluff.
China business and China threats
Doing business with China means being able to say no when the conditions for Australia become too onerous.
Indonesia’s elections and the local result
Analysts should be wary of using regional elections as a guide for the 2019 presidential race.
Weekend catch-up: Hambantota port and more
Cambodian military politics, Nauru’s ABC ban, and “Patrons of Mateship”: the week that was on The Interpreter.
“Patrons” of the alliance and the missing mates
Australia’s public diplomacy is not advanced by excluding women and failing to recognise diversity.
Novichok poisoning and the test for Britain
The difficulty for the UK now is in crafting a fresh response to the continued effects of Russia’s brazen attack.
Poor man’s cigarette: India’s unspoken epidemic
Watered-down regulation of the “bidi” industry has created disastrous consequences for smokers and the country alike.
International rescue: the Thai cave response
The latest dramatic rescue has spurred a huge international response – but cooperation never seems to outlast a crisis.
Tail wagging the dog: Seehofer in Germany
Germany’s Minister of the Interior is the latest right-wing leader in Europe to surf the populist political wave.
Détente divergence: the US-South Korean split
South Koreans don’t see how destructive and divisive Donald Trump is, nor is it their concern with North Korea so close.
Hambantota: “the Chinese port”
The facility is seen as an egregious example of how Beijing is using loans and aid to curry strategic influence in Asia.
Immigration links: Mediterranean sea rescues, more
Immigration policy deal in Germany, Malta charges rescue ship captain, and more links from the migration sector.
Denmark: fading out ghettoes
A bid “to ensure good Danish knowledge” has raised fears of Islamophobia.
Nauru ABC ban: Australia damned by faint criticism
Authoritarian dangers encroaching on the Pacific have been a theme of late – but not for Australia about Nauru.
Australia’s Women, Peace and Security policy
The new National Action Plan needs to account for developments regarding the rights of women in conflict settings.
Pyongyang’s promises
Despite the much-trumpeted summit, Kim Jong-un does not seem to be honouring his end of the deal.
Trade is not just about tariffs
Behind-the-border measures are more important restraints on international trade.
Sources of Shinzo Abe’s resilience
The Japanese Prime Minister derives strength from weak domestic opposition and assertive external powers.
Aid links: empowering women, mapping welfare, more
Combating “sugar daddies” in Kenya, reviewing Australian aid, and other links from the aid and development sector.
Mai Tai diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific
The 2018 Rim of the Pacific military exercises are a chance for China’s neighbours to signal support for the US.
Hun Sen and his personality cult
The menace behind the man within the title “Princely Exalted Supreme Great Commander of Gloriously Victorious Troops”.
Weekend catch-up: Huawei’s wolf culture and more
Indian aircraft carriers, Bitcoin, and the vacant US Ambassadorship: the week that was on The Interpreter.
Make or break: UAE in Yemen
Amid claims of human rights abuses, many Yemenis are increasingly coming to view the Emirates as an occupying power.
Thinking about Australia’s power and influence
To maximise its international influence, Canberra must concentrate on pathways where it has a comparative advantage.
The Huawei way
Speaking with insiders and outsiders offers a remarkable insight into this famously mysterious company.
Asking the wrong questions in the aid debate
A qualitative, not quantitative, approach to evaluating foreign aid is needed more than ever.
Duterte’s China policy: beyond law
Prematurely judging the Philippines’ foreign policy as appeasement of Beijing ignores gains.
Vietnam: a month of mass protests
Recent public outrage demonstrate the optics of policy making matter, even in Vietnam.
The “unsinkable” island is no substitute
Aircraft carriers have a strategic and demonstrative impact no fortified island can replicate.
Pacific links: tourism, PNG unrest, more
Riots in the PNG Highlands, Vanuatu’s PM in Canberra, tourism as a growth driver, and more updates from the Pacific.
The photos that go down in history
Theatricality, frisson, an unguarded glimpse behind closed doors – the art of a momentous political photograph.
The sports make-over
The World Cup is a chance for authoritarian countries to appear more committed to idealistic internationalism.
Answering Bitcoin hype
To displace conventional currencies, Bitcoin has to function better than existing monies. It doesn’t.
Exceptional access: Australia’s encryption laws
The search is for a technical solution that reconciles the national security imperative with personal privacy.
An empty chair vs the risk of a crazy Trump crony
A politically stupid choice as next US Ambassador to Australia would hurt public confidence in the relationship.
Exit strategy: will US troops leave South Korea?
For perhaps the first time, major players in Korean affairs all seem to share an interest in removing foreign forces.
India’s Nipah virus outbreak and misleading media
Unnecessary panic was sparked after social and traditional media alike disseminated distorted information.
Human Rights Council: reform rather than reject
The US decision to walk away has made it harder for like-minded countries such as Australia to promote human rights.
Reunification out of reach
Even with North Korean denuclearisation, the two Koreas will remain divided.
The big clean-up in Malaysia
Political confusion might appear on the surface, yet the new government cannot act without the right people in place.
Resiliency no excuse in refugee crisis
A TEDx event in a refugee camp was an important platform but not as an excuse to erase international responsibility.
China’s Pacific presence improves Australian aid
A funding shift towards infrastructure building, caused by Chinese competition, is welcome and well overdue.