Articles | Lowy Institute

21 Dec 2022
Aid & Development

Timor-Leste

Australia

Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting

Bougainville

Papua New Guinea

Review
Seeking independence: three books to read this summer

Jessica Collins

From Timorese history and Bougainville’s dreams to Australia’s regional stories, catch up on essential background.
5 Oct 2022
Indonesia

Timor-Leste
A free trade zone for Timor-Leste and Indonesia

Fidelis Magalhães

Regional stability, economic resilience and mutual prosperity – what’s not to like about a cross-border FTZ?
3 Oct 2022
Aid & Development

China

Timor-Leste

Australia
Greater Sunrise: Can Timor-Leste play the “China card”?

Teesta Prakash , Jack Sato

Beijing is a minor player in development finance for Dili – but it’s a different story with state-owned enterprises.
5 Sep 2022
Aid & Development

Asean

Timor-Leste
José Ramos-Horta's Australian visit: a checklist

Parker Novak

The Greater Sunrise LNG field will top his agenda, along with economic diversification and ASEAN membership.
27 Jul 2022
Trade and Investment in the Asia Pacific

Timor-Leste

Asean

Japan

Australia

Australian trade, investment & economy

Trade

Pacific Islands
Economic diplomacy: The Pacific beats ASEAN for nervous investors

Greg Earl

Abe Shinzo’s passing and the Timor oil spy case dismissal reveal new thinking about what national security means.
27 Jun 2022
China

Timor-Leste
Unpacking the China/Timor-Leste bilateral agreements…

Parker Novak

…and the unfolding geopolitical rivalry around them.
8 Jun 2022
Australia

China

Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste, China and Australia, and the influence contest

Andrea Fahey

Fostering connections with a new generation of democratic leaders offers Australia an edge in its island neighbour.
19 May 2022
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: Building towards the next 20 years

Parker Novak

Two decades of independence has seen laudable achievements but stormy economic waters lie ahead.
4 May 2022
Timor-Leste
Three takeaways from Timor‑Leste’s presidential election

Parker Novak

And three questions about what’s next.
27 Apr 2022
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: The new president needs to tune in

Joao da Cruz Cardoso

In the battle for leadership, an integral part of good governance has been overlooked: listening to the people.
18 Apr 2022
Timor-Leste
The not-so-hidden contest behind Timor-Leste’s presidential election

Parker Novak

On the ballot it’s Guterres versus Horta, but also Gusmão versus Alkatiri continuing their post-independence feud.
23 Mar 2022
Timor-Leste
Key questions as Timor‑Leste’s presidential contest goes to a run-off

Parker Novak

The first round of voting showed resistance-era figures still dominate. But questions swirl over who wins the prize.
17 Mar 2022
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste’s presidential election: Watching for generational change

Joao da Cruz Cardoso

The heroes of the independence movement still dominate the political scene, only the emotional ties are ageing.
7 Mar 2022
Asean

Timor-Leste

Russia

Energy

Ukraine
The Ukraine crisis and Timor-Leste

Andrea Fahey

The small country’s decision to stand against Russia underscored its democratic credentials in a region without many.
24 Jan 2022
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: comebacks and contests ahead of presidential elections

Michael Leach

Jose Ramos-Horta hopes to win back his old job – Xanana Gusmão, too – while Fretilin’s own leadership question looms.
16 Nov 2021
Timor-Leste
Planning for progress in Timor-Leste

Joao da Cruz Cardoso

Protecting a growing population in Dili from disasters requires a cross-community effort – not just government.
19 May 2021
Timor-Leste

Climate change

Environment

Sustainability
Lessons from the recent cyclone in Timor-Leste

Fidelis Magalhães

Without a vision for sustainable development and action on climate change, there can be no “building back better”.
12 May 2021
Australian Diplomacy

Timor-Leste

Indonesia

Human rights
Andrew Peacock’s Timor legacy

Peter Job

Remembered as a principled defender of human rights, the late foreign minister took a different tack with Suharto.
23 Apr 2021
Australian Foreign Aid

Timor-Leste

Climate change
Timor-Leste’s floods and Covid lockdown aggravate political rifts

Michael Leach

Mounting crises raise questions about infrastructure spending, the uses of oil wealth and the need for elite consensus.
13 Apr 2021
Australian Foreign Aid

Timor-Leste

Climate change
Dili floods a costly consequence of poor urban planning

Joao da Cruz Cardoso

Reactive measures by the Timor-Leste government and aid from overseas won’t prevent the same disaster next time.
2 Oct 2020
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste’s youth leave or get left behind

Joao da Cruz Cardoso

Young people make up most of the country’s unemployed, sending many overseas, while needed skills go unmet at home.
18 Jun 2020
Global Issues

Public Opinion

Timor-Leste

Southeast Asia
Will Timor-Leste be the region’s latest press freedom casualty?

Jim Nolan

An new law under the guise of “dignity” would only diminish democracy and transparency in the country.
28 Apr 2020
Timor-Leste

Coronavirus
A Covid-19 wake-up call to reshape Timor-Leste’s economy

Joao da Cruz Cardoso

A dual shock has demonstrated that dependence on oil revenue is unsustainable.
3 Apr 2020
Timor-Leste

Coronavirus
Timor-Leste: The consequences of Covid-19

Guteriano Neves

A coronavirus outbreak would not only overwhelm the health system, but would deepen the country’s poverty as well.
31 Mar 2020
Timor-Leste

Coronavirus
A political impasse in Timor-Leste as coronavirus looms

Michael Leach

A government of national unity might be desirable right now, but such a prospect seems remote.
19 Mar 2020
Global Issues

United Nations

Australia

Timor-Leste

Coronavirus
The future ain’t what it used to be

Gordon Peake , Christian Downie

If Covid-19 teaches us anything, obviously we need to plan, but let’s not pretend the future is actually predictable.
20 Jan 2020
Timor-Leste
In Timor-Leste, failed budget sparks a political crisis

Michael Leach

Instability looms as the largest party in the governing coalition abstains on the budget proposed by its own government.
23 Sep 2019
Australia

Timor-Leste
Remembering Timor – a soldier’s view

Rodger Shanahan

Personal connections matter and can have a lasting influence 20 years on.
20 Sep 2019
Australian Defence Force

United Nations

Timor-Leste
INTERFET and the defence of Australia

Luke Gosling

The 1999 mission shaped not only Timor-Leste’s recent history, but also Australia’s post–Cold War trajectory.
17 Sep 2019
Timor-Leste
In Timor-Leste, a big set of challenges

Guteriano Neves

Two decades after gaining independence, Timor-Leste needs a long-term strategy for sustainable economic development.
5 Sep 2019
Timor-Leste
How the people of Timor‑Leste feel about security

Robin Perry

A new nationwide survey reveals strong trust in local security actors but also the obstacles to maintaining peace.
2 Sep 2019
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste’s future still shadowed by the past

Sophie Raynor

History and heroes hold the spotlight, 20 years after the country voted for its freedom.
16 Aug 2019
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste, 20 years on

Mica Barreto Soares

What does development look like, two decades after starting over?
25 Jan 2019
Timor-Leste
Letter from Dili: languid days, broken barracks, and a surprise

Gordon Peake

Dili is marked by imprints of a once prominent international city with a presence now slipping from perceptible view.
16 Jan 2019
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste’s forgotten Chinese

Sophie Raynor

The Chinese-Timorese community face discrimination and stereotypes in the country they’ve long called home.
21 Nov 2018
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: refining agreements in the Greater Sunrise

Michael Sainsbury

Timor-Leste’s sees a purchase of US energy group ConocoPhilips’s stake in Greater Sunrise as a “seat at the table”.
7 Aug 2018
Timor-Leste
Timor and Australia: a new chapter or a stalemate?

Bec Strating

After the maritime boundary treaty, tensions remain over development of the Greater Sunrise gas fields.
30 Jul 2018
Australia

Timor-Leste
Julie Bishop’s new Timor-Leste chapter

Sophie Raynor

Tension remains between Australia and its neighbour despite the minister’s optimistic words.
12 Jun 2018
Australia

Timor-Leste
A new path to dispute settlement

Bec Strating , Clive Schofield

The novel mechanism that solved the Timor Sea dispute may not have the same success in other complex and highly contested cases across the region.
17 May 2018
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste election: the generation gap

Sophie Raynor

A peaceful election and decisive result is a win for stability, but it has come at the cost of youth leadership.
29 Mar 2018
Australia

Timor-Leste

Indonesia
Timor Trough: the rumpled carpet on the sea floor

Brendan Duffy

A Timor Sea maritime boundary beyond the median line was never reasonable.
7 Mar 2018
Australia

Timor-Leste
Timor Gap: a boundary, yet disputes linger

Bec Strating , Clive Schofield

A landmark agreement has not yet resolved Timor-Leste's urgent need for the Greater Sunrise development.
6 Mar 2018
Australia

Timor-Leste

Indonesia
The Timor Trough – two separate shelves

John Carlson

In maritime boundary negotiations with Indonesia, Canberra argued the seabed between Australia and Timor comprised two separate continental shelves.
16 Feb 2018
Australia

Timor-Leste
How Australia crossed a line in the Timor Sea

Kim McGrath

Canberra had evidence supporting Indonesia’s claim in maritime boundary negotiations – yet buried it.
12 Jan 2018
Australia

Timor-Leste

Indonesia
Revisiting the 1972 seabed boundary negotiations with Indonesia

Hugh Wyndham

Making a judgement in the present about events in the past is fraught with difficulties.
22 Nov 2017
Diplomacy

Timor-Leste
Timor Sea dispute: progress and prospects as a deal emerges

Bec Strating

The bitter feud between Australia and Timor Leste is edging closer to resolution.
15 Nov 2017
Timor-Leste
Review: Shameful lust for riches under the Timor Sea

Michael Rose

Greed for resources steered five decades of Australia's policy towards East Timor.
23 Oct 2017
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: A return to belligerent democracy?

Michael Leach

Timor-Leste is at risk of losing the hard-won ground of political stability forged over the last decade.
15 Sep 2017
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste heads for minority government

Michael Leach

With this change in leadership, Timor Leste meets a key measure of democratic consolidation.
5 Sep 2017
Timor-Leste
The Timor Sea breakthrough

Bec Strating

An expedient negotiated settlement with Australia was in the interests of oil-dependent Timor-Leste.