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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 10 Nov 2022
    • United Kingdom

    Battle for Chagos

    Samuel Bashfield
    A dispute over sovereignty in the Indian Ocean tracks Britain’s dwindling empire and the path of international law.
  • 2 Nov 2022
    • United Kingdom
    • Migration

    Can the UK stop the boats?

    Khalid Koser
    Attempting to mimic the Australian model ignores the striking differences that confront post-Brexit Britain.
  • 12 Oct 2022
    • United Kingdom

    Liz Truss and foreign policy: expect the unexpected

    David Wells
    The new PM may see global affairs as welcome theatre to demonstrate leadership and distract from domestic pressure.
  • 12 Sep 2022
    • United Kingdom

    History, one tribute at a time

    Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo
    Reactions to the Queen’s death reflect our complex attitudes to the United Kingdom.
  • 27 Jul 2022
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • France
    • Germany
    • United Kingdom
    • United States

    France can help Albanese fix AUKUS

    Alan J. Kuperman
    Labor faces a dilemma over nuclear-powered subs and the non-proliferation regime. An old partner might offer an answer.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • South China Sea
    • Singapore
    • China
    • Malaysia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • United Kingdom

    Answering China’s South China Sea flying safety challenge

    Peter Layton
    A regional response can best manage risks, and the Five Power Defence Arrangement offers just the mechanism.
  • 17 Jun 2022
    • United Kingdom
    • International law
    • Human rights

    The British Indian Ocean Territory and the rules-based order

    Samuel Bashfield , Elena Katselli Proukaki
    In claiming sovereignty over Chagos, London privileges Western interests. And breaks international law.
  • 9 May 2022
    • Australia's Trade
    • Australia's Economy
    • European Union
    • United Kingdom
    • France

    The time is right for Australia to forge stronger ties with Europe

    Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo
    A new world has created new opportunities in energy, security and diplomacy that Canberra should grab without delay.
  • 8 Apr 2022
    • Asean
    • United Kingdom

    Britain in Southeast Asia: How to keep old friends newly engaged

    Huong Le Thu
    Are there too many Indo-Pacific inputs right now from various European actors, individually and collectively?
  • 4 Apr 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • India
    • United Kingdom

    AUKUS can be a good platform for cooperation with India

    David Brewster
    And it wouldn’t be the first time the partners had worked together, either.
  • 14 Feb 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • United Kingdom
    • Africa

    The curious case of Blenheim Reef

    David Brewster , Samuel Bashfield
    A coral reef in the middle of the Indian Ocean, owned by no-one, is fast becoming a focus of international controversy.
  • 9 Feb 2022
    • Maldives
    • United Kingdom
    • Africa

    Mauritius sets sail to Chagos

    Samuel Bashfield
    The UK faces a lose-lose situation as demonstrators put disputed Indian Ocean archipelago in the spotlight.
  • 25 Jan 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    AUKMIN shows the UK is a world away from Australia

    Susannah Patton
    London’s global focus on malign authoritarian actors makes clear thinking and prioritisation impossible.
  • 24 Jan 2022
    • Australia
    • China
    • United Kingdom

    The D10 is dead, long live the … Network of Liberty?

    Mercedes Page
    Not explicitly focussing on a grouping of democracies is smart and includes more countries engaged in pushback on China.
  • 29 Dec 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
    • Australian Navy
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    An AUKUS surprise – Best of The Interpreter 2021

    The Interpreter
    An extraordinary decision put Australia at the centre of regional defence debates.
  • 22 Dec 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • India
    • United Kingdom

    India remains divided about AUKUS

    Abhijit Singh
    Something about the new Australia, UK and US deal suggests it could detract from the value and usefulness of the Quad.
  • 14 Dec 2021
    • United Kingdom
    • Review

    From Brentford to the world: The Interpreter’s 2021 favourites

    Ben Bland
    Watching his hometown team take on the English Premier League after a seven-decade hiatus was worth the wait.
  • 14 Dec 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    Why isn’t Australia putting diplomacy first?

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    Canberra is out of step with its key allies with one of the most potent tools its international arsenal.
  • 8 Nov 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • Indonesia
    • United Kingdom

    Indonesia-Australia: Deeper divide lies beneath AUKUS submarine rift

    Benjamin Herscovitch , Gatra Priyandita
    Indonesia is committed to “standing in the middle” between the United States and China and using ASEAN as a buffer.
  • 28 Oct 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    Britain and Australia aren’t actually treaty allies – they should be

    Ben Judah
    Only a formal deal will lock in the gains under AUKUS against future uncertainty.
  • 21 Oct 2021
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    Queen Elizabeth II: For Country and Commonwealth

    Simon Heffer
    From the Suez crisis to dicing with dictators – a steady reign spanning seven decades of constant global change.
  • 14 Oct 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • China
    • United Kingdom

    AUKUS: Why Beijing didn’t go ballistic

    Jia Deng
    China’s reaction was in words not deeds. Another high-profile case may have influenced its attitude.
  • 5 Oct 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • China
    • United Kingdom

    In defence of AUKUS

    Oriana Skylar Mastro , Zack Cooper
    This is not only about nuclear-powered submarines; it is about a strengthened US commitment to Australia.
  • 21 Sep 2021
    • US Navy
    • Maritime Security
    • China-Australia Relations
    • Asia Pacific Security
    • Australian Navy
    • Asean
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australia-United States Relations
    • China
    • United Kingdom
    • France

    AUKUS and the CPTPP: It’s all about China

    Ian Hill
    Security deterrence is only one factor in the new and fast-moving geostrategic environment of the Indo-Pacific.
  • 20 Sep 2021
    • US Navy
    • Australian Navy
    • Australia's Defence Challenges
    • United Kingdom

    When you’re in a hole, stop digging: Australia and the nuke sub deal

    Albert Palazzo
    By the time Canberra’s subs roll off the dock, their capabilities will be obsolete, and there are bigger threats, too.
  • 16 Sep 2021
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australian Navy
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    How nuclear subs could transform Australia, its alliance and Asia

    Sam Roggeveen
    First thoughts on the consequences of a truly momentous decision.
  • 2 Sep 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • Europe
    • South China Sea
    • European Union
    • Germany
    • United Kingdom
    • France

    Europe and the South China Sea 

    Loro Horta
    More warships in disputed waters may cause instability. But the presence of navies from afar sends a clear message, too.
  • 17 Aug 2021
    • Asean
    • United Kingdom

    UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt – not just for the good times

    Ben Bland
    Britain’s renewed enthusiasm in Southeast Asia means, among other tasks, negotiating the idiosyncrasies of ASEAN.
  • 2 Jul 2021
    • The Trans-Pacific Partnership
    • Asean
    • United Kingdom

    Playing catch-up: Britain’s re-engagement with Southeast Asia

    Rahul Mishra
    UK Foreign Secretary manages a mid-pandemic whistle-stop tour of Asian nations in a bid to promote “Global Britain”.
  • 24 Jun 2021
    • Trade
    • Free Trade
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    Australia sweeps the table in the UK trade deal

    Dmitry Grozoubinski
    Tariff elimination on this scale through a free trade agreement is almost unprecedented.
  • 21 Jun 2021
    • Europe
    • United States
    • Russia
    • European Union
    • Germany
    • United Kingdom
    • France

    Believing Biden

    Daniel Woker
    The US President has persuaded European allies of his values-based policy. But will such faith carry home?
  • 17 Jun 2021
    • Asia
    • Trade
    • Australia
    • Migration
    • United Kingdom

    Economic diplomacy: Trade deals for a fast-growing family

    Greg Earl
    New ties with Britain to “right a historic wrong” but visa schemes for regional workers could generate another headache.
  • 17 May 2021
    • Global Economy
    • United Kingdom
    • Hong Kong

    London and Hong Kong: Financial centres in parallel peril

    Daniel Woker
    Once mighty, two beacons of the modern global economy are shrouded by political clouds.
  • 25 Feb 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom
    • Africa

    Australia’s silence on Chagos dispute doesn’t help

    Benjamin Herscovitch
    Ensuring a consistent approach to the “rules” would make it that much harder for China to break them.
  • 15 Feb 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • US Navy
    • United Nations
    • United Kingdom
    • Africa
    • Human rights

    The power of example: America’s presence in Diego Garcia

    Blake Herzinger
    US claims to upholding the rules-based order don’t square with its silence on Mauritian sovereignty in the Chagos.
  • 12 Feb 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • United Kingdom

    Scottish independence and the implications for British defence

    Conor McLaughlin
    Breaking away from the UK would bring up some thorny issues – like what to do with nukes.
  • 21 Jan 2021
    • Technology
    • United Kingdom
    • Africa

    The Diego Garcia dispute hits cyberspace

    Samuel Bashfield , James Mortensen
    As internet domains go, .io is a money spinner. Would a change to the “British Indian Ocean Territory” cancel an asset?
  • 14 Jan 2021
    • United Kingdom
    • Coronavirus

    A very British crisis

    Mark Beeson
    The ineptitude of the UK’s Covid response is on full display the moment you arrive in the country.
  • 23 Dec 2020
    • Australia
    • European Union
    • United Kingdom

    She won’t be right with “Australian-style” Brexit

    Stephen Minas
    If a no-deal option with the EU is so enviable, why is Australia cutting a deal right now?
  • 17 Dec 2020
    • Iraq War
    • War Crimes
    • United Kingdom

    A missed opportunity for the International Criminal Court

    Shannon Maree Torrens
    In declining to investigate possible UK war crimes in Iraq, the ICC has dealt a blow to victims and its own reputation.
  • 1 Dec 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australian Foreign Aid
    • Australia
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • United Kingdom

    The UK’s unwelcome foreign aid cut

    Philip Citowicki
    Amid a pandemic and shifting geopolitics, the aid budget was a victim of its own size – and domestic pressures.
  • 15 Sep 2020
    • European Union
    • United Kingdom

    The “Australian solution” won’t fix Johnson’s Europe problem

    Daniel Woker
    Geography, reality and personality collide to undercut the British Prime Minister’s fantasy.
  • 8 Sep 2020
    • ISIS
    • Terrorism
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom

    Islamic State’s new battleground – the courts

    Rodger Shanahan
    Two crucial cases at opposite ends of the earth will determine a government’s right to revoke citizenship of terrorists.
  • 27 Jul 2020
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
    • United Kingdom
    • Canada

    Five Eyes: Blurring the lines between intelligence and policy

    Ben Scott
    Intelligence sharing is one thing. Aligning policy with the same brand risks making too exclusive a grouping.
  • 15 Jul 2020
    • United States
    • United Kingdom
    • Africa

    Decolonise Diego Garcia: Why America should not fear Mauritius

    Peter Harris
    Only a deal with Port Louis can put the future of the US base beyond question and preserve a crucial staging post.
  • 26 Jun 2020
    • United States
    • United Nations
    • United Kingdom
    • Africa

    Finding compromise in the Chagos Islands saga

    David Snoxell
    The US base on Diego Garcia needn’t be an obstacle to a negotiated settlement of a longstanding sovereignty dispute.
  • 22 Jun 2020
    • International Economy
    • Australia's Trade
    • United Kingdom

    Australia-UK trade agreement: Good, boring policy

    Dmitry Grozoubinski
    A deal between two liberalised economies on opposite sides of the globe can only improve a small number of pain points.
  • 14 May 2020
    • United Kingdom
    • Coronavirus

    Muddled messages as Britain seeks to stay alert

    Lawrence Freedman
    Confusion reigned as Covid-19 lockdown eased, complex guidance raising fears Boris Johnson had made another mistake.
  • 22 Apr 2020
    • United Kingdom

    Scotland: False note to cry freedom​​​​​​​

    John Lloyd
    Lockdown may have put independence talk into hibernation, yet not forever. Destroying Britain would be great for no one.
  • 7 Feb 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • The Asia Pacific's Economies
    • United Kingdom

    Brexit and the Pacific: Sink or swim?

    Alexandre Dayant
    Growing UK presence in the Pacific Islands aims to boost prosperity, but a range of factors could tip the balance.
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