Two decisions that leave Indonesia more polarised than ever
Two back-to-back decisions have left Indonesia more religiously polarised than ever. One was politically inept, the second deeply unjust. Both may come back to haunt the Jokowi government.Australia’s flatlining foreign affairs budget
There’s not much joy in the 2017 budget for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, for Australia’s international engagement, or for DFAT’s long-suffering staff.Australian aid budget: It could have been worse
It's clear that public support isn’t enough for a government that does not view aid as an election issue.Macron and the uprooting of France
‘Whoever is uprooted themselves,’ wrote Simone Weil, ‘uproots others.’ France will not be a happier country five years from now if the only legacy of a Macron presidency is further uprooting.Asian Development Bank: The first 50 years
In 1997 blame for the Asian crisis was sheeted home to incompetent and often-corrupt leadership. This book gives a different and more accurate explanation.Proof the US is losing hearts and minds in Southeast Asia
Less than a quarter of those surveyed thought that the US-China relations would be friendly, cooperative or cordial in the next 12 monthsSecuring progress in Somalia
The stakes are so high for the London Conference this week that we dare not fail.The Australian budget and counterterrorism
One of the significant growth areas in the Commonwealth sector over the years since 9/11 has been the disproportionate increase in the number of highly-paid senior managers.French Presidential election: Implications for Australia’s closest French neighbour
Given Macron’s lack of experience, French officials who know New Caledonia will need to continue to mediate this final phase of the Noumea Accord.The chemical attack in Syria: Sorting truth from propaganda
Sorting truth from propaganda in a war as complex as the Syrian conflict sometimes seems like an impossible task.Syrian safe zones: Not there yet
On the one hand any agreement that brings relief to Syria's civilians should be supported. But the lack of trust between sides has not disappeared.Indonesian prosperity needs certainty on resource regulation
Only regulatory certainty will ensure that Indonesia's resources are ‘used for the greatest possible prosperity of the people’.From Macron to Renzi: The centre fights back
Renzi has assured party loyalists that after his primary win, PD will return to first place in the polls by the end of May.Aid & development links: Australian Federal budget primer
In recent years the amount of Australian aid has continued to fall down the world's rankings.China's bid to join the global aviation elite faces huge challenges
Although the experts who are downplaying the commercial significance of the C919 are not wrong, perhaps their frame of reference is too narrow.'A Wary Embrace': Response to Stephen Blank
Blank reiterates the popular, but implausible, claim that Xi's determination to be strongest ruler in China since Mao is influenced by Putin.Emmanuel Macron: Social-democrat, anti-populist and European
Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Gerhard Schröder and Tony Blair were all young Social Democrats in the classical European definition of politicians - they emanated from the left while espousing the basic tenants of liberal economic policy - who won popular majorities.Turnbull-Trump: The alliance needed a new start, and got one
We will need more than the warm and cordial summit on board USS Intrepid to address the creeping problem in the alliance.Weekend catch-up: Trump and Turnbull, the TPP lives on, rugby league and more
Is this the end of US primacy? How should we discuss the 'threat' posed by terrorism? And what's going on in South Korea politics?
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