25 May 2023
Where has Australia’s foreign policy ambition gone?
Labor has adopted a status quo attitude to the world, lacking a vision for reshaping global affairs.
-
-
23 May 2023
It’s time Australia branded Russia’s Wagner Group a terrorist organisation
A record of abuses in conflicts from Ukraine to Africa makes designating the Russian group the right choice. -
22 May 2023
Albanese should raise human rights concerns with Modi
Australia must not to repeat the mistake of allowing the promise of trade to override a need to stand up for values. -
19 May 2023
Building a Quad that lasts to the next generation
Joe Biden won’t decide the future of the Quad. But he and the other engaged leaders can help foster it. -
19 May 2023
First Nations diplomacy can transform Australia’s relationship with Indonesia
If stronger “people-to-people” links are the aim, experience from the world’s oldest living culture offers a guide. -
19 May 2023
AI vs democracy: the battle is already here
The first disruption was to the business model of journalism. Australia has yet to heed the warning. -
18 May 2023
Remembering Australia’s “other” alliance
New Zealand has dropped off the radar in modern strategic discussions despite the long history of trans-Tasman ties. -
17 May 2023
Biden’s trip cancellations reveal pitfalls of a crowded diplomatic calendar
Bailing on Australia and PNG highlights the growing risk of disappointment when leaders are clambering to summits here, there, everywhere. -
16 May 2023
Indigenous Voice: Getting ready to explain to the world if Australia votes “No”
The referendum is a pivotal moment for global perceptions of Australia. Diplomats must be ready whatever the outcome. -
16 May 2023
Life in Australia’s aid program - but not as we know it
The cost of development measures is being spread across government in creative ways, making coordination harder. -
12 May 2023
Australia’s future security: Where the Defence Strategic Review falls short
An integrated National Security Strategy could consider all the tools of statecraft rather than a defensive mindset. -
11 May 2023
Economic diplomacy: Paying for a new security era
The budget contains some tantalising hints about future foreign policy, offset by some doleful old realities. -
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? -
9 May 2023
DFAT: Show me the money
Reports of a boost to spending to Australia’s diplomatic machinery need to be judged against what has been cut before. -
8 May 2023
Curiosity and openness: Allan Gyngell’s light touch in the early days at the Lowy Institute
Experiment and evolve was the message, and he did it by putting trust in the next generation of voices. -
5 May 2023
Budget time: Will Labor rebuild Australia’s aid program, and how?
Global crisis and shifting economic realities mean Australia must both rebuild and modernise its development efforts. -
5 May 2023
Five ideas from Allan Gyngell for a better foreign policy
Gyngell saw “national interest” as a matter for democratic discussion, always valuing the search for solutions. -
2 May 2023
Choosing openness in the international economy
As the region seeks to rebound from a global economic downturn, the free flow of goods and services is key. -
2 May 2023
Managing Japan-Australia energy tensions in a time of transition
Australia can’t afford to support Japan’s carbon emissions anymore than its own. -
1 May 2023
Finding opportunity in Asia’s net-zero transition
Australia will miss out if it doesn’t prepare for lower coal and gas exports. -
27 Apr 2023
Economic diplomacy: Friends, rivals and diplomatic gaslighting
Money still talks in a new world of tighter security alliances when Japan and China can align against Australia on energy. -
26 Apr 2023
The two big flaws in Penny Wong’s talk of deterrence over Taiwan
It’s wishful thinking to dismiss debate on the most difficult and important foreign policy question as a “parlour game”. -
26 Apr 2023
Quad should ask ASEAN to a diplomatic dance
For all the talk of hedging, Southeast Asian nations have long worried about China’s ambition to dominate the region. -
21 Apr 2023
Strategic divergence with Indonesia: an Australian perspective
Despite expected differences with Indonesia, Australia also underplays how fast its regional approach has changed in just a decade. -
20 Apr 2023
Embracing the different ways Indonesia and Australia view the region
It would be a mistake to assume enhanced defence cooperation means the two countries share a strategic outlook. -
20 Apr 2023
Questions about Australian aid to fund the Pacific Games
Australia is backing a sports tournament over urgent development needs, and doing so may break international aid rules. -
19 Apr 2023
Hugh White on the choice facing Penny Wong
How long can the Foreign Minister talk of a multipolar order in Asia in a government working to bolster US strategic primacy? -
19 Apr 2023
Chinese-Australians feel more at home
Despite tension in Australia-China relations, Chinese-Australians express stronger connection and trust in Australia. -
17 Apr 2023
AUKUS: What to do with nuclear waste?
Only by investing in community consent – “social licence” – can the government be certain about long-term storage plans. -
14 Apr 2023
No Albo at NATO, no worries
Australia’s diplomatic effort has been in overdrive. That doesn’t change by not sending a minister to Vilnius. -
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. -
6 Apr 2023
What “Utopia” got wrong about China and defence policy
If Australia didn’t have a Defence Force, would China have turned to force rather than economic coercion? -
6 Apr 2023
China is its own worst enemy
Xi’s belligerence prompts classic balancing, an alignment among smaller states that would alone struggle to compete. -
4 Apr 2023
To help end war in Ukraine, the Quad should back India to engage Russia
India might be accused of playing both sides but also has the special relationships to lead a push towards a settlement. -
3 Apr 2023
What the Quad could learn from AUKUS
If the four powers decide to adopt a greater security role, they should go beyond empty signals. -
30 Mar 2023
Climate change, ironically, reduces the heat in the South China Sea
The days for oil and gas are numbered, so the economic case of a fight over undersea resources doesn’t stack up. -
28 Mar 2023
The economics of AUKUS
A formal cost-benefit analysis wouldn’t go astray to help understand the benefits had a different decision been made. -
27 Mar 2023
Philippines: The best friend for AUKUS in Southeast Asia
Manila has stood apart on Australia’s nuclear-powered subs deal as a sympathetic democracy seeking to balance China. -
24 Mar 2023
Krill campaign less than thrilling
Sea Shepherd should widen its net beyond activism by diversifying efforts to support sustainable fishing. -
23 Mar 2023
Ending the climate wars: the public’s mandate
Australians understand the need to act. As global scientists issue the clearest warning yet, can Labor deliver? -
22 Mar 2023
AUKUS commits Australia to fight China if America does, simple
Whatever the flag, Washington would not sell nuclear-powered boats unless it could count on them in war over Taiwan. -
22 Mar 2023
Can ASEAN forge a political solution in Myanmar?
Indonesia and Australia have different but equally critical roles in bringing the junta to the negotiating table. -
21 Mar 2023
Could Indonesia legally stop transit by nuclear-powered AUKUS subs?
International law includes passage rights for all vessels in archipelagic waters – during peace or wartime. -
20 Mar 2023
AUKUS in the Pacific: Calm with undercurrents
Pacific neighbours understand the drivers behind Australia’s bid for nuclear-powered subs, but still harbour concerns. -
17 Mar 2023
AUKUS: The pillars of Hercules
Wishful thinking will not make the world more benign. Ambition carries a cost, but Australia has a responsibility, too. -
17 Mar 2023
The limits on Australia’s submarine industry
Long before the last boat is delivered, the business will be winding down. -
10 Mar 2023
AUKUS: Asking a veteran submariner what to think
What are the big issues still lurking beneath the surface of the AUKUS debate? -
9 Mar 2023
Finding the right approach to India as a “Civilisational State”
Australian diplomacy must be careful about the domestic political messages that accompany any complex relationship. -
9 Mar 2023
A first for Australia, and First Nations Australians
Now the hard work begins to ensure a First Nations Foreign Policy amounts to more than words. -
9 Mar 2023
A strategy for securing Australian democracy
Rising right-wing extremism threatens the liberties we take for granted, which means Canberra needs a new plan.