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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 1 day ago
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Public Opinion
    • United States

    Australians see through tariff fears to real economic threat

    Jenny Gordon
    Latest Lowy polling shows strong support for local manufacturing, but green tech backing might be on the slide.
  • 1 day ago
    • China
    • Defence & Security
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    US-China: Rather than mutual understanding, strive for competition without conflict

    Sophie Wushuang Yi
    Military hotlines and exercise notifications could reduce escalation risks while acknowledging persistent misreading of intent.
  • 1 day ago
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States

    Albanese must learn that smiles and handshakes with Trump won’t save Australia’s AUKUS ambitions

    John Lee
    Dealing with Trump 2.0 demands concrete defence spending increases, not diplomatic charm, as Pentagon reviews submarine deal.
  • 2 days ago
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • United States

    Why DEI won't DIE: 80 years of protecting rights and fighting for equality

    Fiona McGaughey
    The protection of human rights and principles of equality are fundamental to international law and can’t be dismantled overnight by one state alone.
  • 17 Jun 2025
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    Trump's State Department purge cuts deeper than in his first presidency

    Lanni Hamblin , Melissa Conley Tyler
    Reducing America’s global diplomatic presence to pre-Second World War levels will only lead to declining influence.
  • 17 Jun 2025
    • China
    • Russia
    • Global Issues
    • Sustainability
    • Technology
    • Middle East
    • United States

    Brave new interior world: The rise of self-enhancing states

    Roderick Parkes
    Power is shifting inward, not outward, with control and influence the currency of choice.
  • 13 Jun 2025
    • Aid & Development
    • Poverty
    • United States

    The upside of the world’s downgrade in foreign aid

    Osmond Chiu , Danae Bosler
    Australia has an opportunity to fill the gap left by the US and Europe – and it’s good for democracy, too.
  • 12 Jun 2025
    • China
    • Global Economy
    • United States

    China banks big wins as Trump withdraws from global aid game

    Robert Wihtol
    By abandoning climate finance and health initiatives, the United States is creating unprecedented opportunities for Chinese-led multilateral banks.
  • 11 Jun 2025
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom
    • Canada
    • United States

    Australia’s royal dilemma as King Charles serves conflicting Commonwealth interests with Trump

    Hugh Piper
    If Australians found their sovereignty threatened, would people want an unelected septuagenarian Englishman representing their interests as head of state?
  • 10 Jun 2025
    • Maritime Security
    • Energy
    • International law
    • United States

    What lies beneath: Trump and the security of subsea cables

    April A. Herlevi
    To access the riches under the sea, the new US administration seeks dominance.
  • 6 Jun 2025
    • Ukraine
    • Diplomacy
    • Canada
    • United States

    With friends like these…

    Mark Pierce
    In geopolitics, are the benefits of allies overrated?
  • 6 Jun 2025
    • China
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    What the US could lose by closing its universities to China

    Pete Millwood
    A chance to influence America’s most important competitor for one thing – but that’s only the start.
  • 4 Jun 2025
    • China
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • United States

    Global trade: Why China can’t (and won’t) come to the rescue

    Henry Storey
    Those looking for relief from US tariffs will run up against China’s mercantilism and structurally weak demand.
  • 3 Jun 2025
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • India
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • Trade
    • United States

    The tariff war that’s accelerating Asia’s trade transformation

    Vu Lam
    As the deadline for suspension looms, regional economies are looking to patch the vulnerabilities of regional economic architecture.
  • 3 Jun 2025
    • Europe
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    No jacket required? Power dressing in world politics

    Clare Caldwell
    From kurtas to the three-piece suit, what world leaders wear speaks volumes.
  • 2 Jun 2025
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • China
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United States

    No one’s world: The Global South is navigating a post-American order

    Alldo Fellix Januardy
    Global influence no longer flows solely from dominant capitals – and power itself is changing shape.
  • 2 Jun 2025
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • United States

    Trump and the art of the (bad faith) deal

    Huw McKay
    After Liberation Day, evidence is mounting that many US trade negotiations are far from good faith.
  • 29 May 2025
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States

    Pete Hegseth’s impossible mission to reassure Asian allies at Shangri-La

    William Choong
    Whatever the Defence Secretary might say, it’s the actions of his boss that catch most attention.
  • 27 May 2025
    • North Korea
    • South Korea
    • Russia
    • United States

    US troops in Korea may soon switch focus from Pyongyang to Beijing

    Gabriela Bernal
    Could America’s security rejig inadvertently strengthen an alliance between North Korea, China and Russia?
  • 27 May 2025
    • Technology
    • Middle East
    • United States

    Trump’s Gulf AI gambit to reshape the Middle East tech landscape

    Nadeem Ahmed Moonakal , Megha Shrivastava
    The US President’s regional tour also signalled an effort to peel back growing regional connections to Chinese tech companies.
  • 26 May 2025
    • Debt
    • Trade
    • Global Issues
    • Migration
    • United States

    The diminishing of US exceptionalism

    Jenny Gordon
    Visa bans, research cuts, and isolationist policies risk America’s global leadership and leave a void for China to fill.
  • 20 May 2025
    • Technology
    • United States

    America first, ethics second: The implications of Trump’s AI Executive Order

    Niusha Shafiabady , Andrew O'Neil
    The dismantling of AI oversight prioritises commercial dominance over collaborative global governance, adding to security concerns worldwide.
  • 19 May 2025
    • Global Economy
    • Debt
    • United States

    The US dollar is everyone's problem

    Stephen Grenville
    A new book offers a chance to look back at the record of a distinguished economist.
  • 16 May 2025
    • Middle East
    • Saudi Arabia
    • United States

    Trump's extraordinary Saudi speech

    Sam Roggeveen
    A speech in the Middle East offers insights into Trump's views on China.
  • 8 May 2025
    • Bangladesh
    • China
    • Myanmar
    • United States

    Is the United States really planning a proxy war in Myanmar?

    Andrew Selth
    Despite reports to the contrary, the likelihood of any Western country joining the conflict is vanishingly small.
  • 6 May 2025
    • China
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    An American abroad: How one influencer’s visit to China turned the tables

    Evan Freidin
    A US YouTuber shows how soft power is done.
  • 5 May 2025
    • Papua New Guinea
    • United States

    A derelict memorial to aviatrix Amelia Earhart reflects America’s selective interest in PNG

    Gordon Peake
    During Trump mark one and Biden, US interest in Papua New Guinea took off; will it continue?‎
  • 2 May 2025
    • Asean
    • Japan
    • Philippines
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • United States

    How the Squad risks upending ASEAN norms

    Vincent Kyle Parada
    Is minilateralism really the way forward for the Indo-Pacific?
  • 1 May 2025
    • Trade
    • United States

    Floating America’s boats

    Selwyn Parker
    Donald Trump’s big ship-building project faces waves.
  • 30 Apr 2025
    • Vietnam
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • United States

    Peace without victory: Historical lessons from Wilson to Trump

    Stephen Grenville
    American approaches to conflict resolution follow a pattern.
  • 29 Apr 2025
    • India
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Maritime Security
    • Terrorism
    • United States

    Kashmir and what’s next after the Pahalgam attack: How India’s partners could help in this crisis

    Arzan Tarapore
    Stepping up overflight surveillance in the Indian Ocean would be a good start.
  • 24 Apr 2025
    • Asean
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • United States

    Economic diplomacy: Trump era transcends economics

    Greg Earl
    The International Monetary Fund and Australia have found some welcome security amid growing geopolitical fragmentation.
  • 23 Apr 2025
    • Vietnam
    • Trade
    • United States

    From tariffs to triumph, Vietnam holds the key to US trade strategy

    Brian R Braun
    The next three months offer a rare chance for the US to turn tariff tensions into a durable framework for fairer trade.
  • 23 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Australia
    • United States

    Australia’s knowledge dilemma

    Angela Lehmann
    While the United States devalues education and research, China is throwing everything at innovation.
  • 22 Apr 2025
    • Trade
    • United States

    Hirschman’s warning: Forgotten lessons about Trump’s trade war

    Mark Beeson
    History is the best guide we have.
  • 17 Apr 2025
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • United States

    A Ukraine-model deal in the South China Sea?

    Vincent Kyle Parada
    Like Kyiv, Manila needs to provide the US with “skin in the game” beyond military considerations. The answer might just be a disputed feature near the Spratly Islands.
  • 16 Apr 2025
    • United States

    World, First

    Mark Pierce
    Life in the times of an everywhere President opposed to globalisation.
  • 14 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Trade
    • United States

    What’s next in the US trade conflict?

    John Edwards
    A sense of economic déjà vu is driving the Trump administration in the dispute with China.
  • 11 Apr 2025
    • Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
    • Middle East
    • Iran
    • United States

    Why Oman? Explaining the choice of venue for US-Iran talks

    Jonathan Campbell-James
    Oman’s skill as a facilitator has been fine-tuned over decades – not that many know.
  • 10 Apr 2025
    • Asean
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Trade
    • United States

    Tariffs or temporary pause: ASEAN’s big choice

    Greg Earl
    How Southeast Asian nations respond to Donald Trump’s economic coercion matters for the world and Australia.
  • 9 Apr 2025
    • Asean
    • Trade
    • BRICS
    • United States

    A tariffying shift for the ASEAN market

    Niaz Asadullah , Doris Liew
    The US is driving away friends and accelerating a process of diversification.
  • 9 Apr 2025
    • United States

    Remembering Roosevelt – a president who made America great again

    Steven Casey
    The current effort to destroy what remains of FDR’s legacy threatens to weaken the US and fuel global instability.
  • 8 Apr 2025
    • Intelligence and security
    • United States

    From SCIFs to Signal: How Signalgate sends a message of institutional disdain

    Munira Mustaffa
    Southeast Asia has seen cases before of when proximity to leadership trumps protocol.
  • 7 Apr 2025
    • China
    • Trade
    • Technology
    • United States

    Electrifying geopolitics: Tesla vs BYD

    Mark Beeson
    The competition to change the world.
  • 7 Apr 2025
    • Australia
    • Intelligence and security
    • United States

    Five Eyes alert: Trump is skewing intelligence to suit his priorities

    Daniel Flitton
    Sharing secrets is an effort to influence as much as inform – a point that even close friends must remember.
  • 3 Apr 2025
    • Australia
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Trade
    • United States

    Australia in Trump’s new tariff order

    Stephen Moran
    The new US tariffs are so high and wide-ranging that they represent an economic experiment.
  • 3 Apr 2025
    • Terrorism
    • United States

    The post-9/11 “counterterrorism” failure

    Hussain Nadim
    The counterterrorism economy, where vast sums of money continue to flow into security operations, has too often failed to deliver meaningful results.
  • 2 Apr 2025
    • China
    • United States

    A grand bargain between Trump and Xi?

    Ved Shinde
    Despite a focus on domestic imperatives, neither leader has lost sight of the higher goal of becoming numero uno.
  • 2 Apr 2025
    • Mongolia
    • North Korea
    • United States

    Why Donald Trump should meet Kim Jong-un again – in Mongolia

    Tuvshinzaya Gantulga
    As a venue that addresses the practical and symbolic barriers that hampered previous efforts, Mongolia offers unique advantages.
  • 28 Mar 2025
    • Maritime Security
    • Trade
    • Yemen
    • United States

    Breaking Houthi resolve: Why Trump’s strikes won’t work any better than Biden’s

    Mark O'Neill
    The “whack-a-mole” approach to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea needs a rethink – upstream, rather than down.
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