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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 4 hours ago
    • Diplomacy

    Albanese’s absence: Skipping the Pope’s funeral was a missed opportunity for Australia – and himself

    Tim Hamer
    A headline-making meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again underscored the diplomatic value of attending major state funerals.
  • 8 Apr 2025
    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy

    Australia and Southeast Asia: Why strategic balance still matters

    Hangga Fathana
    Whoever wins the coming Australian election will do well to listen, consult, and show up in the region it calls home.
  • 25 Mar 2025
    • India
    • Diplomacy

    Raisina Dialogue: Triumph of the fence-sitters

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    As India sees it, the country’s position of non-alignment has stood the test of time.
  • 18 Mar 2025
    • Diplomacy
    • Public Opinion
    • United States

    Silencing the Voice of America

    Susannah Patton
    Data from the Asia Power Index shows just how successful the Voice of America has been.
  • 7 Mar 2025
    • Diplomacy
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • Sustainability

    The realists and their limits in the world today

    'Alopi Latukefu
    A belief in “might is right” is not set in stone – rules in global affairs are shaped by the choices we make.
  • 5 Mar 2025
    • Global Issues
    • Diplomacy

    Zelenskyy might have benefited from a warm-up before talking to Trump

    Mark Pierce
    And other hints for a president – or foreign minister – to write their own talking points
  • 27 Feb 2025
    • Diplomacy
    • Europe
    • Global Economy
    • Global Issues

    Trust in our leaders: A universal currency

    Mark Pierce
    An intangible mix of competency, honesty and commitment is the glue that holds politics, economies and societies together.
  • 24 Feb 2025
    • Diplomacy

    Writing is communicating – inside government and out

    Philip Eliason
    Reflections on the quality of sending a message.
  • 23 Jan 2025
    • Diplomacy

    The perils of recruiting a modern diplomat

    Mark Pierce
    Absent Hogwarts’ sorting hat, selection panels can do better.
  • 30 Dec 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    The foreign policy of Jimmy Carter

    Salim Yaqub
    Carter believed the US should downplay its preoccupation with the Cold War yet setbacks escalated tensions dramatically.
  • 27 Dec 2024
    • Asia
    • Quad
    • Diplomacy

    The rise and endurance of minilaterals in the Indo-Pacific

    Sarah Teo
    Will small groupings of nations last? Bet on self-interest.
  • 23 Dec 2024
    • Diplomacy

    Five surprises from Lowy’s Global Diplomacy Index

    Jack Sato
    Revealing the who, what and – just as importantly – where of foreign policy.
  • 18 Dec 2024
    • Diplomacy

    What makes a remarkable political oration?

    Mark Pierce
    A confessed speech snob explores the complex anatomy of the perfect address.
  • 13 Dec 2024
    • Asean
    • Australia and Asia
    • Diplomacy
    • Foreign Policy

    Diplomacy the Southeast Asian way

    Izzah Ibrahim
    How ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand are making progress through informal dialogue.
  • 9 Dec 2024
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Australian Defence Force
    • Australian Foreign Aid
    • Diplomacy
    • Climate change

    Australia is out to lunch on disaster diplomacy

    Fleur Johns
    Despite multiple strategies, frameworks and partnerships, Canberra still lags on regional disaster relief.
  • 6 Dec 2024
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy

    First Nations diplomacy: A foreign policy approach that benefits all

    Laura Salt
    First Nations participation and leading on international engagement should be considered for its substantive contribution, not relegated to ceremony.
  • 4 Dec 2024
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Global Issues
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Transnational Challenges

    Australia’s chance to align global efforts against “hostage diplomacy”

    Sean Turnell
    A new senate report has set out sensible recommendations for a fresh approach on wrongful detention of Australians overseas.
  • 3 Dec 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • Review

    What should world leaders read?

    Mark Pierce
    Unlike polls and social media, the classics teach humility.
  • 27 Nov 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • Global Issues

    Shifting the mindset on global challenges

    Daniel Flitton
    The 2024 Lowy Lecture reinforced the timeless wisdom of coordinated action to tackle international dangers.
  • 26 Nov 2024
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security
    • Diplomacy
    • Global Economy

    Balancing the books on Australian statecraft

    William Leben , Ruby Saulwick
    It should be easier to judge the budget against the warnings of challenging times.
  • 22 Nov 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • Climate change

    End game at COP29: Green talks in the “Blue Zone”

    Ryan Neelam
    The best hope is that the final hours are following a predictable pattern of brinkmanship.
  • 21 Nov 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • United Nations

    Zooming in on climate change: The experience of a virtual COP29 attendee

    Isabelle Zhu-Maguire
    Flying thousands of delegates across the globe has its own environmental cost – so how effective are global negotiations conducted online?
  • 5 Nov 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • Foreign Policy

    Tips for new world leaders: Keep it real, and keep it local

    Mark Pierce
    Those in the statecraft caper could do worse than to fake it until they make it.
  • 1 Nov 2024
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • Diplomacy
    • Foreign Policy

    Lost in translation: China’s elite-centric approach in Cambodia

    Chhay Lim
    Walking the talk will be needed to prove to young Cambodians that the relationship is about partnership rather than pure profit.
  • 22 Oct 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • Foreign Policy

    The language of respect in world politics

    Mark Pierce
    A former diplomat muses on the vagaries of foreign policy dialogue … and the importance of the subjunctive mood.
  • 15 Oct 2024
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Papua New Guinea

    Three unanswered questions for Australia’s PNG Rugby League dream

    Hugh Piper
    Could Australian diplomacy enter novel terrain: professional sports administration?
  • 23 Sep 2024
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Public Opinion
    • United States

    Out of the way, USA

    Mark Pierce
    Focus on the United States might well reduce our bandwidth for what is going on in other regions.
  • 20 Sep 2024
    • Quad
    • Diplomacy

    Quad leaders trade symbolism over substance

    Daniel Flitton
    A practical agenda amounts to a fine aim. But such details don’t demand the scrutiny of busy leaders.
  • 2 Sep 2024
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Public Opinion

    The patriot’s virtue in bringing the world back home

    Mark Pierce
    Whether gauging global attitudes or assessing international interests, it pays to think first of home.
  • 28 Aug 2024
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Migration

    Maid in Australia: When international relations and industrial law collide

    Daniel Flitton
    Two recent court cases have raised uncomfortable questions about diplomatic immunity.
  • 27 Aug 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • Global Issues
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Transnational Challenges

    Hostage diplomacy: Fresh ideas to end a modern blight

    Sean Turnell
    A new Australian senate inquiry into the practice of imprisonment for leverage offer a chance to learn from international experience.
  • 23 Aug 2024
    • Asia
    • Southeast Asia
    • Australia and Asia
    • Diplomacy
    • Communities
    • Regional relationships

    Key questions for reform of the New Colombo Plan

    Ly Tran
    A boost to the ties that bind Australia and the Indo-Pacific is essential to humanising public diplomacy and building life-long connections.
  • 14 Aug 2024
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Sex and Gender

    Wong’s century: A closer look at gender mix in Australia’s top diplomatic roles

    Daniel Flitton
    Female representation is near its highest. But some posts appear more equal than others.
  • 13 Aug 2024
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Climate change
    • Pacific Islands
    • The Americas

    Where to for Australia’s First Nations Foreign Policy?

    'Alopi Latukefu
    The climate is right to make environmental diplomacy a centrepiece of this new approach to the world.
  • 1 Aug 2024
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Diplomacy
    • Transnational Challenges

    Smuggling budgies? Australia’s fight against wildlife trafficking

    David M. Andrews
    Masters of soft diplomacy and flag-bearers for Aussie tourism, our native animals need all the protection they can get.
  • 26 Jul 2024
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Middle East
    • United States

    Remembering Martin Indyk, an American diplomat with Australian sensibilities

    The Interpreter
    “Few Australians have had such a large impact on the world, and for good”, said Lowy Institute Chairman Sir Frank Lowy.
  • 24 Jul 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • Review

    Shakespeare as life coach

    Mark Pierce
    Two new books examine how the Bard’s wit and wisdom can serve as guides for modern day policy and prophecy.
  • 19 Jul 2024
    • China
    • Diplomacy
    • Russia
    • BRICS
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Does democracy still matter in the ‘New Cold War’ between the US and China?

    Sushil Aaron
    Contradictions between the two models of governance make coexistence among superpowers difficult.
  • 8 Jul 2024
    • Japan
    • Diplomacy
    • Iran

    Diplomacy at a funeral

    Tim Hamer
    Recent deaths of world leaders have highlighted that international relations can take place at unexpected venues.
  • 27 Jun 2024
    • Australia
    • Intelligence and security
    • Diplomacy
    • United Kingdom
    • United States

    Julian Assange: Some consular cases are more equal than others

    Ian Kemish
    It’s hard to think of a case that has consumed more official hours and dollars.
  • 26 Jun 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • France
    • Global Economy
    • Global Issues

    Hope for gold: The value in the Olympics

    Jenny Gordon
    An economic case is hard to make. Reputational risks abound. Yet hosts want the Games, and that’s no bad thing.
  • 19 Jun 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • United Kingdom
    • Review

    How to broaden the political gene pool

    Mark Pierce
    With the United Kingdom headed for the polls, Alastair Campbell has a few suggestions on what makes a good leader.
  • 18 Jun 2024
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy

    Bonjour Bill? The endless speculation about political postings

    Daniel Flitton
    Was former Labor leader Bill Shorten’s stint as Australia’s envoy to the Ukraine peace summit a dress rehearsal for a change in role?
  • 14 Jun 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    Back to the future for the US State Department?

    Alice Nason , Tom Corben
    Biden’s repair job after Trump turmoil is far from complete.
  • 13 Jun 2024
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy

    From global to regional: Australia’s focus narrows

    Susannah Patton
    The real question about Australian foreign policy is whether it is too narrow, not too broad.
  • 21 May 2024
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Australia's Economy
    • Defence & Security
    • Diplomacy

    Putting dollars behind “all tools of statecraft”

    Tom Barber
    The budget papers offer a chance to assess the government’s claims against fiscal reality.
  • 6 May 2024
    • India
    • Diplomacy

    Between the two worlds of an Indian diplomat

    Adarsh Badri
    Independence wasn’t a break with colonial ties but a transition – a process which has accelerated in recent years.
  • 27 Mar 2024
    • Australia
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Diplomacy

    Reflecting Australia as a career ambassador

    Jenny Bloomfield
    Australia rightfully has a positive image, even if we’re sometimes better at telling our story abroad than we are at home.
  • 21 Mar 2024
    • South Korea
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy

    Economic diplomacy: Politics rules in Korean envoy row

    Greg Earl
    From Seoul to Washington, “captain’s pick” ambassadors are being embroiled by unexpected domestic political tensions.
  • 6 Mar 2024
    • Defence & Security
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    Grand strategising: The view from outside

    Mark Beeson , Van Jackson
    It is entirely possible that the US may soon install a very different policy elite with very different ideas about domestic and foreign policy.
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