20 Jan 2026
The international community is failing the Iranian people
As the world dithers, Iranians suffer.
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5 Nov 2025
The art of Australia’s straight-talking diplomacy
A foreign service known for being informal and egalitarian has worked a treat for Canberra’s envoys. But does it reward boldness? -
26 Sep 2025
Why we need international institutions…
…and how to rebuild them in an era of great power competition. -
21 Jul 2025
Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill: A domestic deal with Indo-Pacific consequences
America’s new act reinforces the reality that internal choices are rarely contained within borders. -
15 Jul 2025
One Health diplomacy: How Australia can lead regional disease prevention
Scientific collaboration on health threats offers a new pathway for regional influence. -
10 Jul 2025
Srebrenica at 30: Why this turning point for international justice still matters
The 1995 massacre galvanised legal accountability mechanisms that remain vital as multilateral institutions face new challenges. -
2 Jun 2025
No one’s world: The Global South is navigating a post-American order
Global influence no longer flows solely from dominant capitals – and power itself is changing shape. -
21 May 2025
The World Health Assembly adopts a historic Pandemic Agreement
While the text could have been more ambitious, it nonetheless provides a firm foundation for action on pandemics. -
7 Mar 2025
The realists and their limits in the world today
A belief in “might is right” is not set in stone – rules in global affairs are shaped by the choices we make. -
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26 Feb 2025
Two cheers for the European Union
Democracy, peace and cooperation don’t happen by accident. Will the EU continue to defy Europe’s violent history? -
14 Feb 2025
Australia can no longer assume multilateralism will work in its favour
With US withdrawals and China's growing influence, Australia must rethink its approach to the UN. -
12 Feb 2025
What a US withdrawal from WHO will mean for global health
And it’s a raw deal for the United States, too. -
7 Feb 2025
The old theories don’t fit the new world order
A workable and sustainable internationalism will need to grapple with questions of diversity and multipolarity. -
28 Jan 2025
Abandoning the rules-based order is no solution
Competing narratives about the international order are being weaponised in an age of renewed territorial ambitions. -
19 Dec 2024
What a Trump second term holds for global development
Judging by track records, there's a bumpy road ahead for aid, health and climate funding. -
25 Nov 2024
Cutting coal power: Indonesia's test case for turning a climate pledge into reality
The technical, financial and legal hurdles to get an Indonesian coal-fired power plant off the grid. -
15 Nov 2024
Economics as history: Assessing the 2024 Nobel Prize
Rich country or poor country? Why a chain of causation proposed by this year’s winners is so controversial. -
11 Sep 2024
Meeting the need: Recommendations for a new Loss and Damage fund
Avoiding mistakes made by other funds will be key to better supporting the most climate-vulnerable. -
19 Jul 2024
Does democracy still matter in the ‘New Cold War’ between the US and China?
Contradictions between the two models of governance make coexistence among superpowers difficult. -
22 Mar 2024
Green transition: Supercharging a sustainable future for the Asia‑Pacific
An ambitious path of competition and collaboration with China would ensure the region’s economic non-dependence. -
21 Dec 2023
A jurisdiction over the high seas
Australia will be a key player in the new agreement governing the globe’s largest natural habitat. -
9 Nov 2023
Private finance cannot lead the global response to climate change
Misplaced faith in private sector solutions delays the redistribution of trillions from developed countries and multilateral institutions. -
13 Sep 2023
The crucial role for the Green Climate Fund – and why Australia should contribute
It’s vital to international climate solidarity and Australia rejoining is key to unlocking more global funding for the Pacific. -
28 Aug 2023
Australia and the UN: A new agenda for peace
Multilateral responses to the threats of new and emerging tech – from AI warfare to bioweapons – are crucial to success. -
28 Jun 2023
Replenishing the Green Climate Fund
Delivering on a promise to help developing countries meet climate challenges remains critical. -
31 May 2023
India’s diplomatic poise: Not just about photo ops
Delhi’s foreign policy has matured at pace, showcasing the art of engaging everyone and being close to no one. -
18 May 2023
Why the WHO needs Taiwan
Taiwan’s early warning and pandemic response should be offered as a model to the world, not hostage to China’s whim. -
11 May 2023
Australia: The lynchpin of a modernised Commonwealth
A network of middle powers and small states supporting one another. What’s not to like? -
10 May 2023
Malaysia’s Anwar seeks Asian Monetary Fund and “dedollarisation”
By reviving an old idea, Malaysia’s PM hopes to be in the driver’s seat for regional economic leadership. -
9 May 2023
“Play defence” in any collective response to China’s economic coercion
The cost of fighting back is unlikely to be spread evenly across any coalition, which risks undermining the effort. -
27 Apr 2023
Shaky foundations for the New Development Bank
A new president for BRICS groupings finance arm must steer geopolitical storms from outside – as well as within. -
14 Apr 2023
A strategy for engaging for small developing states
If Australia is serious about climate change, it needs better relationships with island nations – near and far. -
31 Mar 2023
Great power rivalry is poisoning multilateralism
With India in summit season, New Delhi is banking on minilateral partnerships to counter China’s hegemonic ambitions. -
27 Mar 2023
This year, India leads the G20, Japan the G7, and together can make a potent team
The two nations share a chance to renew confidence in multilateral cooperation. -
8 Nov 2022
COP out: Should Albanese be in Egypt? And what about APEC? G20? EAS?
The demands on leaders in global diplomacy have only grown but that hasn’t made negotiations more meaningful. -
3 Nov 2022
Economic diplomacy: Searching for APEC
APEC faces some new competition as Australia considers the sovereign risks involved in reducing domestic gas prices. -
24 Oct 2022
Australia’s road to Geneva
The League of Nations gave delegates from the antipodes a taste for progressive internationalism that remains today. -
20 Oct 2022
Economic diplomacy: The IMF faces a US$ reality check
The Bretton Woods institutions may face existential challenges from the decoupling of the United States and China. -
23 Sep 2022
Six reasons to be cautious about Australia establishing a DFI
As soon as public money is on the table, there will be a line of players looking to “clip the ticket”. -
31 May 2022
Multilateralism matters again
The world’s big challenges – and main priorities for Australia – are best tackled by cooperation. -
16 May 2022
Diplomacy is indispensable to manage the Mekong
The goal of a healthy river won’t be helped by misreading the shared mission of the Mekong River Commission. -
25 Oct 2021
There is life in the Non-Alignment Movement yet
This 60-year-old Cold War relic is finding new voice as a venue separated from institutions of the West. -
13 Oct 2021
Zooming out of digital diplomacy
It’s time to think beyond the videoconference to allow countries to trust again. -
17 Jun 2021
New push for WTO trade reform
Protectionism must be relegated to the rear view mirror – fixes in agriculture negotiations might open the road ahead. -
26 Apr 2021
Indonesia raises ASEAN’s bar on Myanmar
President Joko Widodo had nothing to gain domestically in calling a special summit. But in not failing, he succeeded. -
25 Mar 2021
Economic diplomacy: Deploying soft power and the future of trade
Not-so-negative globalism, the not-so-predictable future of supply chains, and maybe not much change on China. -
15 Mar 2021
A new “concert” to govern the Indo-Pacific
For Quad leaders emphasising an “inclusive” region, there may be a ready-made example for involving China. -
25 Jan 2021
The US and the next leader of the OECD
Australia’s candidate for Secretary-General is a favourable contender, but American backing is still up in the air. -
25 Nov 2020
In search of a middle-power rethink on North Korea policy
An international commission could potentially transform an outdated and failed approach to the Korean peninsula.