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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 7 Nov 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    Learning the right lessons from Australia’s Covid response

    Tom Chodor , Shahar Hameiri
    The pandemic measures that took us from lucky country to locked-up country have their roots in 1980s neoliberalism.
  • 3 Nov 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
    • Nuclear Weapons

    Australian leadership in Indo‑Pacific nuclear diplomacy

    John Tilemann
    With growing state capabilities in the region, “guardrails” are more important than ever. Canberra can help.
  • 30 Oct 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Global Issues
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Sustainability
    • United States
    • US Elections

    The future isn’t what it used to be

    Mark Beeson
    Will a revolution be the way the world’s young people right the wrongs of the modern era?
  • 18 Oct 2023
    • China
    • China's Economy
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia's Economy
    • Australia's Trade
    • Australia-United States Relations
    • China-Australia Relations
    • Global Economy
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Trade
    • United States
    • US Economy

    Australia must play the geoeconomics game, or risk being side-lined

    Naoise McDonagh
    The world is moving away from a rules-based order and towards power politics. Is Canberra ready?
  • 12 Oct 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom
    • Public Opinion

    Voting “Yes” in the heart of empire

    Hugh Piper , Matthew Newman
    If the ballot queue in London were any guide, the Voice would win hands down.
  • 10 Oct 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Australian Public Opinion

    The Voice: Towards a fuller expression of nationhood

    Ryan Neelam
    Long after the referendum, the result will echo in Australia’s national conscience.
  • 6 Oct 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Diplomacy

    Pump up the volume: Music diplomacy as soft power

    Kate Clayton
    From jazz ambassadors to Eurovision, it’s time Australia employed the persuasive power of pop and beyond.
  • 28 Sep 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia's Defence Challenges
    • Australia-United States Relations
    • Australian Defence Force
    • Defence & Security
    • Maritime Security
    • Review

    AUKUS: A debate after the fact is still worth having

    Georgina Downer
    Can Australia’s statecraft and alliances offer alternative security options in the Indo-Pacific?
  • 5 Sep 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australian Defence Force
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Technology

    Danger Will Robinson: Warfighting robots fast approaching

    Peter Layton
    A swarm of angry Australian-made cardboard attack drones sets the scene for all future conflicts.
  • 24 Aug 2023
    • Australia in the World

    “Australia’s future to 2063” and debating the world beyond the horizon

    Daniel Flitton
    How much value does the nation gain from peering into a crystal ball?
  • 24 Aug 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Sex and Gender

    Australia showcased gender equality on the pitch. Now let’s try it on budget policy

    Ramona Vijeyarasa
    This government has the opportunity to get serious about gender responsive budgeting by upskilling its ministries.
  • 22 Aug 2023
    • Cambodia
    • Australia in the World

    Cambodia's democracy deficit: Australia's role and responsibility

    Gareth Evans , Gordon Conochie
    Have we done enough to support human and democratic rights in a country where they are perpetually under attack?
  • 7 Aug 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Foreign Policy
    • Sex and Gender

    Why the F word matters if we’re serious about gender equality in foreign policy

    Joanna Pradela , Alice Ridge
    The problem with an implied rather than explicit feminist approach is that it is all too easy to ignore.
  • 26 Jul 2023
    • India
    • Australia in the World
    • Global Issues

    Why the Australian Voice referendum matters globally

    Ambika Vishwanath
    Close friends will be watching for an outcome that lives up to the values for which the country professes to stand.
  • 25 Jul 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    Beyond “the Brisbane Line”: Why Queensland is crucial to Australia’s national security

    Danielle Ireland-Piper , Sue Thompson
    The state-federal divisions can’t stand in the way of a unified approach.
  • 24 Jul 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting

    Opportunity lost with the Commonwealth Games

    Sam Bidwell
    With alternative cities jumping at the chance to host the orphaned Games, has Victoria scored an own goal?
  • 19 Jul 2023
    • Australia in the World

    No playing games with Australia’s reputation

    Daniel Flitton
    The Commonwealth Games – like its diplomatic counterpart – belongs to a different age.
  • 28 Jun 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia and Asia
    • China-Australia Relations
    • Public Opinion Polling

    Pragmatism rules the public outlook on Australia-China relations

    Jennifer Hsu
    The 2023 Lowy Institute Poll shows the tenor of debate can influence perceptions of opportunity and threat.
  • 23 Jun 2023
    • China
    • Australia in the World
    • Public Opinion
    • Canada

    Perceptions and trust: Chinese views of Canada and Australia amid geopolitical tensions

    Ye Xue , Daniel Lincoln , Reza Hasmath , Jia Wang
    New data reveals lingering resentments as well as ongoing opportunities.
  • 25 May 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    Where has Australia’s foreign policy ambition gone?

    Connor O’Brien
    Labor has adopted a status quo attitude to the world, lacking a vision for reshaping global affairs.
  • 3 May 2023
    • Australia in the World

    Remembering Allan Gyngell, “the finest mind in Australian foreign policy”

    Daniel Flitton
    Analyst, diplomat, author. Few Australians could better judge Australia’s place in the world.
  • 24 Apr 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    Defence Review: DFAT gets a boost

    Melissa Conley Tyler , Hugh Piper
    For the first time, a major Defence policy statement recommends more diplomatic funding.
  • 24 Apr 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    Defence Strategic Review: Strong chords, with one jarring note

    Sam Roggeveen
    A promising strategy, but is there tension with AUKUS?
  • 12 Apr 2023
    • China
    • Australia in the World
    • China-Australia Relations
    • United States

    Australia’s delicate dance with the United States and China

    Philipp Ivanov
    Could Canberra’s deft management of its Beijing relationship influence policy in Washington?
  • 21 Mar 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australian Navy

    James Goldrick, navies, oceans, trade, law, danger and history

    Justin Burke
    A man of both humility and tremendous intellect was an immeasurable asset to Australia’s naval know-how.
  • 20 Mar 2023
    • China
    • China's Military
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia's Defence Challenges
    • Australian Defence Force
    • Australian Navy
    • China-Australia Relations
    • Defence & Security

    Australia, China, AUKUS and the squandered advantage

    Sam Roggeveen
    Canberra appears to have overlooked the tyranny of distance as its chief asset in regional military deterrence.
  • 15 Mar 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Antarctica
    • Environment
    • International law
    • International Relations
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • Sustainability

    A jurisdiction over the high seas

    Bec Strating
    Australia will be a key player in the new agreement governing the globe’s largest natural habitat.
  • 13 Mar 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Diplomacy

    Taking Australian statecraft from good to great

    Hugh Piper , Susannah Patton
    To remain effective in Asia, Canberra must do more with less, multiplying the effects of its bureaucratic tools.
  • 6 Feb 2023
    • Asia
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Australia and Asia
    • United States

    The big picture: five lessons for five years of the Asia Power Index

    Hervé Lemahieu
    Superpower rivalry matters – but don’t be blinded to the role of smaller players in a region of many contests.
  • 24 Jan 2023
    • Asia and Pacific
    • Asia Pacific Regional Relationships
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australian Diplomacy

    Reality-checking the democracy agenda

    Eduard Lazarus
    Indonesia presents valuable lessons in Australia’s support for democracy in the Asia-Pacific.
  • 20 Jan 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Foreign Policy

    An enduring formula for Australian foreign policy

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    Relationships, forums and neighbours are still a winning combination for Canberra on the global stage.
  • 12 Jan 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Multiculturalism

    Our public holidays should reflect Australia’s multicultural make-up

    Osmond Chiu
    Many countries in the region already have more public holidays to recognise diverse cultural and religious populations.
  • 28 Dec 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    How to Interpret 2022: Australians change government

    Clare Caldwell
    What our columnists and contributors made of the protagonists and power plays during this year’s federal election.
  • 8 Dec 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    We need to talk about war decisions

    Josh Wilson
    Australia has just embarked on a parliamentary inquiry into how it makes choices about when and why it goes to war.
  • 28 Nov 2022
    • Australia in the World

    Redemption complete? Australia’s image and the end of “sandpaper gate”

    Hugh Piper
    The only truly national sport is bound to local identity – but believing in exceptionalism is a dangerous game.
  • 28 Nov 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Diplomacy
    • Foreign Policy

    Confident, competent, inconsistent: Australia’s strategic personality

    Ian Hall
    Canberra’s report card receives a solid “pleasing result” on Southeast Asia, but a “could do better” on the Pacific.
  • 24 Oct 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Australia’s road to Geneva

    James Cotton
    The League of Nations gave delegates from the antipodes a taste for progressive internationalism that remains today.
  • 5 Sep 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • The Americas

    If Brazil’s ambassador could seed a few ideas with the Prime Minister 

    Daniel Flitton
    Australia has a growing personal connection to the South American giant, with diplomatic ties yet to catch up.
  • 2 Sep 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy

    “Should democracies ever lie?” Sort of. Maybe. Not really

    Hugh Piper
    Bending the truth corrupts confidence in democratic institutions and risks a race to the bottom.
  • 1 Sep 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Russia
    • United States

    Downer, Turnbull, Trump and a poke in the Five Eyes

    Daniel Flitton
    Just a diplomat doing his job? A new book puts the spotlight back on Australia, Russia and interference in the US election.
  • 29 Aug 2022
    • South Korea
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia's Defence Challenges
    • Australian Diplomacy

    The merits of transactionalism

    Victor Abramowicz
    Seeking deeper relationships doesn’t always best serve the national interest.
  • 25 Aug 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy

    Penny Wong on “30 minutes with the PM” and Australia’s global interest

    Daniel Flitton
    The Foreign Minister was asked about the new Interpreter series and her answer was an insight into balancing priorities.
  • 8 Aug 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Diplomacy

    The opportunities of cross-public service diplomacy

    Shaun Cameron
    Collaborations between Australia and its regional partners on skills, knowledge and capacity offer a win-win scenario.
  • 2 Jun 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Trade
    • G20
    • Australia
    • Indonesia

    Economic diplomacy: New Labor ministers are facing up to old issues

    Greg Earl
    Reshaping policies on the Pacific, Indonesia and domestic manufacturing is already revealing a changing of the guard.
  • 24 May 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia

    Rejuvenating DFAT: increasing diversity and becoming less insular

    Yun Jiang
    Harnessing the experience and skills of the entire Australian community is the foundation for strong diplomacy.
  • 19 May 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia

    Looking for a little sizzle from the 2022 election campaign

    Greg Earl
    As one of the world’s oldest stable democracies, Australia can do better in its election foreign policy discussion.
  • 13 May 2022
    • Australia in the World

    Payne v Wong: The foreign policy election debate 

    Sam Roggeveen
  • 13 Apr 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    Time to think big on the future of Australian diplomacy

    Hugh Piper
    A good start would put the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the centre of decision-making and coordination.
  • 24 Mar 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    Can states have strategic personalities?

    Ian Hall , Renee Jeffery
    Understanding Australian traits and behaviours could explain how the country works with others – and how it’s perceived.
  • 16 Mar 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australian Diplomacy

    Australian cricket’s soft power opportunity

    Hugh Piper
    A hat trick of factors calls for all-round success, and a recognition of bigger issues, including gender equality.
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