Waitangi Day and Australia Day: contrasting symbolism
As debate rages about Australia's national day, across the Tasman a mix of dramatic protest and strong personal ties marks a very ‘New Zealand moment’.
Why Hillary Clinton still haunts Donald Trump
A political sideshow has cast a shadow over future policy discussion in America.
Getting away with murder: lies, damned lies, and Chinese police statistics
Serving the Party does not always equate with serving justice.
US National Defense Strategy may force Australia to get off the fence
Sometimes your closest friends, rather than your rivals, cause the biggest headaches.
Will Jakarta no longer be Indonesia’s capital?
Talk of relocating the Indonesian capital is just that – talk.
Washington's weak hand to play in Syria
US policy in Syria is full of holes without a strategic plan for once the mission to defeat ISIS concludes.
Aid and development links: Nile dams, refugees as investment, teaching salaries, and more
Links from across the aid and development field.
Erdogan’s outbursts symbolic of Turkey’s decline
Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan did not mince his words after news of a US-backed Syrian Border Defence Force.
Britain can be a power in Asia
The UK’s decline is no more pronounced than that of any Western nation.
Australia–Japan defence deal: noteworthy, not newsworthy
The 'quasi-allies' have a fundamental difference in strategic perspective.
Weekend catch-up: Korea talks, Macron’s horse, Ciobo uncorks, and more
The week that was on The Interpreter.
Digital Asia links: Bitcoin and Chinese New Year, ‘wrongful views’, mobile wallets, and more
Links on digital developments across Asia.
Japan: Shinzo Abe faces challenges across the board
Abe's ambivalent relationship with the Japanese public concerns some members of his party.
Behind the Australia–Canada ‘wine war’
Given Australia's disappointment over Canada's last-minute TPP snub, Trade Minister Steven Ciobo likely had no hesitation in lodging the complaint over wine.
Despite the controversy, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal is a success
There are many yardsticks beyond counting convictions for judging the achievements of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.
Economic diplomacy brief: Trump turns global, Pacific aid, Chinese tourism, and more
It appears China’s economic policy-making elite (if not always Xi Jinping himself) like the certainty and stability of the Bretton Woods system.
Migration and border policy links: Stories from Manus, journeys to Europe and more
Links and updates from across the migration and border policy field.
Macron’s mission to China
Macron’s credibility as a voice for Europe is high and demands recognition by world leaders, including Xi Jinping.
Why Australia should consider sharing nuclear weapons
Nuclear sharing is an old idea worth considering as the future becomes less certain and potentially darker.
Pacific Islands links: eruptions and sorcery in PNG, Chinese aid, and more
Links from across the Pacific Islands from The Interpreter team.
Duterte unchecked
The startling crackdown on those critical or deemed to be disloyal to the president.
Rethinking macroeconomics: the missing financial sector
Neither monetary nor fiscal policy caused the 2007–08 crisis: the direct blame lies squarely with the financial sector.
Putin’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ moment
An attack by a swarm of drones shows Russia’s fight in Syria is far from over.
What Rahul Gandhi’s rise means for Indian politics
Often derided for a lack of charisma, Rahul Gandhi proved an unexpectedly strong campaigner in his first test as leader.
The ‘Olympic truce’ poses a test for the US–South Korean alliance
Moon Jae-in should be wary of North Korea’s history of reneging on its word.
Worries as New Caledonia’s independence vote approaches
An economy in bad shape compounds painful memories as the French territory struggles with questions of independence.
Babri Masjid – India’s flashpoint
The demolition of a mosque in Ayodhya has cast a long shadow over India's politics.
Aid and development links: Artisanal mining, big egos, predicting poverty and more
Updates on issues across the aid and development field.
China’s agenda behind inter-Korean talks
Beijing has three aims, but it all leads back to rivalry with the US.
Pakistan: A reluctant ally
Most Washington experts wrongly believe Donald Trump's aid freeze is unlikely to change Pakistan’s behaviour.
Weekend catch-up: Chinese aid, a united Korea, Indonesia negotiations and more
The week that was on The Interpreter.
Don’t assume North Korea is happy with the status quo
There is good reason to believe Kim Jong-un is a risk taker and willing to use his power.
Understanding China’s approach to aid
A supposed ‘white elephant’ might actually be a source of national pride.
Revisiting the 1972 seabed boundary negotiations with Indonesia
Making a judgement in the present about events in the past is fraught with difficulties.
The bad – and good – of China’s aid in the Pacific
Australia's criticism of Beijing could be seen as an attack on Pacific nations themselves.
Why neighbourhood policing is critical to preventing terrorism
The value of neighbourhood policing in countering violent extremism goes beyond the collection of intelligence.
Nigeria as a nation of influence
Rich in oil and people, an anti-corruption drive is cleaning up the African nation Australia has dubbed an 'emerging power'.
Time to worry about a Chinese-led global order?
The biggest threat to the current order comes not from an unlikely Chinese order, but from within itself.
Pacific island links: Chinese aid, the Panguna mine, Kato Ottio and more
Links on updates across the Pacific islands region.
Indonesia elections: Three factors that will shape the political trajectory of 2018
The military and police are far from a spent force in Indonesia.
Finding Australia’s fair share of climate finance
Practical action will meet a financial pledge to the poorest countries on the planet.
Hong Kong’s passport divide
The BNO passport's power lies the fact that only those 'old Hongkongers' born before 1997 are eligible to apply.
North Korea probably does not seriously seek unification
Since North Korea lies so much anyway, how should we know what to believe?
Calm the alarm on Antarctic krill fishery
China's threat to the Southern Ocean krill fishery is overblown.
Aid and development links: Children in war, Asia’s economic integration, Yemen and more
Updates from across the aid and development field.
Judging Austria’s lurch to the right
Austria has always be seen as a bridge builder between East and West in Europe.
A turning point in US economic relations with China
However crudely, Donald Trump identified that China has taken the opposite course to liberalisation.
An emerging role for the UN in the North Korean crisis
With diplomatic options on North Korea thin on the ground, the intervention by the UN Secretariat is welcome.
China and North Korea: Following the paper trail
A leaked Chinese secret memo may be less than meets the eye.
Best of The Interpreter 2017: The Rohingya Crisis
A selection of the Interpreter's 2017 coverage of the Rohingya crisis.