17 Dec 2019 14:12
Middle East protests: Careful what you wish for
For all the good intentions and international support, a local patronage system is the true lodestone on the region.
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17 Dec 2019 11:12
Learning from Clive James on the language of strategy
In a “complex” and “fragile” world, if everything is “versatile” and “resilient”, is anything really? -
17 Dec 2019 08:12
Exporting digital authoritarianism - Podcast out now
Could China and Russia’s models of high-tech population control and manipulation spread to other countries? -
17 Dec 2019 06:12
Favourites of 2019: Ross Garnaut on climate
Escaping the gloomy view, a positive look at the opportunities for renewable power might just match the public mood. -
16 Dec 2019 14:12
Vietnam’s 2020 strategy: a year of diplomatic force-multipliers
As chair of ASEAN and with a seat on the UN Security Council, Hanoi has a chance to turn regional attention its way. -
16 Dec 2019 12:12
A good week in Washington
A flurry of developments left a dusting of truth inside the post-truth Beltway. -
16 Dec 2019 10:12
India’s Citizenship Amendment Bill: A descent into theocracy
A new law that threatens to exclude Muslims from citizenship upends the idea of a nation built on liberty and equality. -
16 Dec 2019 06:12
Favourites of 2019: Wewak
Far beyond the Port Moresby bubble, the capital of East Sepik Province in PNG cultivates a pleasing vibe. -
13 Dec 2019 12:12
Pacifying Australia-China relations
Cooperation in the Pacific Islands would be valuable precisely because it is difficult. -
13 Dec 2019 11:12
Our Very Own Brexit: Response to reviewers
It is the decline of the traditional parties that destabilises our politics, not burgeoning right-wing populism. -
13 Dec 2019 09:12
Favourites of 2019: The Trauma Cleaner
A reminder that politics can be messy, complex and seemingly contradictory – and that’s just one person. -
13 Dec 2019 06:12
In Australia’s China “debate”, there is no monopoly on morality
It would be tragic if anger at China’s sins prompted Australia to adopt policies making even greater misery more likely. -
12 Dec 2019 15:12
Afghan peace is elusive but not impossible
With the renewed possibility of talks between the government and the Taliban, how can they be set up to succeed? -
12 Dec 2019 14:12
Aung San Suu Kyi: Why defend the indefensible?
Even when revered as a democratic icon, Aung San Suu Kyi always insisted she was a politician, and has since proved it. -
12 Dec 2019 11:12
Strength in numbers in the eastern Indian Ocean
India has compelling reasons to expand its presence in east waters – and Australia has broader reasons to help. -
12 Dec 2019 09:12
Favourites of 2019: The Twitterverse
Occasionally inspiring and frequently very funny, Twitter is the great modern meeting point – mostly. -
12 Dec 2019 07:12
Russia is a special case when it comes to doping
Years of transgressions have led to this heavy ban, even if the country’s leaders tell you otherwise. -
11 Dec 2019 16:12
The Gambia v Myanmar: Day 1
Hearings begin in the Rohingya genocide case at the International Court of Justice, with procedural argument dominating. -
11 Dec 2019 14:12
Iran: When maximum pressure collides with indefinite defiance
After a bad month, the regime in Tehran might be floundering, but it is far from falling. -
11 Dec 2019 13:12
Australia’s stance on Diego Garcia dispute is increasingly untenable
A window is fast closing to resolve Mauritian claims to the Chagos archipelago and secure a crucial US base. -
11 Dec 2019 10:12
Should you lie to your children about reality?
Protecting young people from terrible truths may just be good for them – until it isn’t anymore. -
11 Dec 2019 06:12
Favourites of 2019: When They See Us
A story of shocking lows and ultimately some redemption in the US legal system – inflamed by a younger Donald Trump. -
10 Dec 2019 16:12
When price hikes pour fuel on the fire
The recent protests in Iran illustrate the cost of ignoring the vulnerability of the poor. -
10 Dec 2019 14:12
Share, like, comment, attack: Social media as weapon and battlefield
Parliament will examine threat of foreign actors using social media to cajole, harass, hoodwink, and exploit the public. -
10 Dec 2019 11:12
Murder on the Multilateral Express
With the Appellate Body of the Word Trade Organisation about to seize, members must decide how to get back on the rails. -
10 Dec 2019 06:12
Favourites of 2019: ABC primetime returns to the Pacific
Friction between the panel and audience and Australia’s climate change policies was on display – and plenty more, too. -
09 Dec 2019 15:12
The celebratory Bougainville referendum – stories from Siwai
Bamboo bands, drums, and groups of women singing and dancing are the backdrop as Bougainville decides its future. -
09 Dec 2019 14:12
India and Australia: Reciprocity, mutuality, and promise
A former senior diplomat is crafting an economic strategy for India to deal with Australia – a first for India. -
09 Dec 2019 12:12
Plus ça change – NATO summitry in the age of Trump
A septuagenarian alliance still struggles to find common voice in what it aspires to be. -
09 Dec 2019 06:12
Favourites of 2019: Slow Horses on Spook Street
What better way to understand the upside-down world of today than with fiction masquerading as fact? -
06 Dec 2019 14:12
Sistani: The (not-so) hidden hand behind Iraqi politics
The influential Shiite cleric has avoided formal participation in government, but what he does now could be critical. -
06 Dec 2019 13:12
We’ve already had Our Very Own Brexit
Instead of munching popcorn at the political theatre, citizens’ assemblies would give the community a chance to reflect. -
06 Dec 2019 11:12
For all the focus on Asia’s high achievers, the laggards are many
China led the education rankings, but an ageing population and gap with Southeast Asia might mark down the whole region. -
06 Dec 2019 06:12
How many Cold Wars does it take to make a “new” one?
In the divide between capitalist West and communist East, it was often regional politics that mattered more. -
05 Dec 2019 14:12
Chart of the week: Data, data, everywhere
Any day, every day, we leave an electronic trail. How much, you ask? Look and see. -
05 Dec 2019 14:12
Economic diplomacy: Free trade disputes, WTO appeals, DFAT on China
A shortage of judges on the WTO trade court is bringing appeals to a halt, just as trade disputes are on the rise. -
05 Dec 2019 10:12
Diego Garcia: The costs of defending an Indian Ocean outpost
Australian support for Britain’s contentious Chagos sovereignty claim risks delegitimising its South China Sea policy. -
05 Dec 2019 07:12
What I said then, what I think now: The Khmer Rouge Tribunal
Progress has been lamentably slow, but a decade on, benefits can be seen in Cambodians learning this terrible history. -
04 Dec 2019 15:12
In conversation: Malaysia’s Foreign Minister on great power rivalry
From the South China Sea to the Rohingya crisis, Saifuddin Abdullah speaks to Lowy’s Ben Bland on Asia’s big challenges. -
04 Dec 2019 14:12
Aid links: Traffic jams, conflict minerals, humanitarian tech, more
Links and stories from the aid and development sector. -
04 Dec 2019 10:12
An upbeat mood in Buka as Bougainville waits for a result
With civic joy fuelled by nothing stronger than coconuts and Coca-Cola, the independence ballot is only the first step. -
04 Dec 2019 06:12
On the trail of the Pope in Japan
The Catholic Church maintains a minimal presence in Japan, so what was Pope Francis doing there? -
03 Dec 2019 13:12
As Facebook caves to Singapore censorship, the writing is on the wall
The tech giant’s capitulation, while unsurprising, sets an ominous precedent that others would be happy to follow. -
03 Dec 2019 11:12
The Wang Liqiang case in Cold War perspective
We should encourage defectors from Chinese intelligence services, even if the bona fides in this case are not yet clear. -
03 Dec 2019 09:12
Renting influence: China in the Pacific
In Episode 15 of the Rules Based Audio podcast, we explore China’s interests, influence and intentions in the Pacific. -
03 Dec 2019 08:12
Hollowed out, but not unhinged
The scenario put forth in Sam Roggeveen’s “Our very own Brexit” runs counter to the major parties’ economic realities. -
02 Dec 2019 14:12
Reconsidering Australia’s China debate
A simplistic “pro-China”–“anti-China” division ignores complex questions and shuts down the conversation. -
02 Dec 2019 12:12
Terrorism: The recidivist risk
The London Bridge attack again shows the challenge of what to do with terrorists who have served their sentences. -
02 Dec 2019 11:12
Moon Jae-in’s foreign policy reorientation
He has spoken so favourably of Kim Jong-un that Moon has been criticised for acting as North Korea’s foreign minister. -
02 Dec 2019 06:12
Cultural heritage key to regional development in PNG and Australia
Exchanging ideas about successes on either side of the Coral Sea can lead the way to connecting people and institutions.