15 Nov 2023
The Fix: On the origin of species
Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources and helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed.
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8 Nov 2023
Haunted by a plague
Almost four years since the advent of Covid-19, the world still awaits answers on how the most devastating pandemic in 100 years first began. -
7 Nov 2023
Learning the right lessons from Australia’s Covid response
The pandemic measures that took us from lucky country to locked-up country have their roots in 1980s neoliberalism. -
16 Oct 2023
Managing risk: Pandemics and plagues in the age of AI
An Australian-initiated international forum could hold the key to controlling unconventional weapons in the age of generative AI. -
2 Oct 2023
The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19
Poverty, institutional incapacity and budget cuts fuelled a surge in pandemic piracy. The lessons are many. -
26 Jul 2023
It’s no surprise Australia shrugged off China’s campaign of trade coercion
New modelling confirms an early Lowy Institute conclusion that Beijing’s bluster would cause minimal economic damage. -
11 Jul 2023
Existential risk is a whole-of-society challenge
From climate change and pandemics to nuclear war and extinction by AI, collective action will be imperative. -
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. -
5 Jan 2023
Australia’s mainstream media neglected Asia’s Covid stories
A heavy focus on how the US and UK struggled with the pandemic further removed Australians from their neighbourhood. -
21 Dec 2022
Covid-19: from crisis to closure?
Moving from pandemic to endemic, many countries have not learnt the lessons of disease preparedness. -
16 Dec 2022
A changing aid landscape in the Pacific
Budget support was favoured during the pandemic, with loans — which must be repaid — also overtaking grants. -
13 Dec 2022
2022: A global turning point
Looking at trends and contours that have coalesced this year to make international politics more contested and unpredictable. -
7 Sep 2022
North Korea’s politics defeats Covid … almost
In one of the world’s most isolated countries, there’s no escaping microbiology, even when you’re the Chairman. -
27 Jul 2022
The Quad needs a futures focus
A better – and public – understanding is needed of the cascading effects of regional challenges. -
26 Jul 2022
ASEAN and pandemic recovery: Economy before strategic rivalry
Southeast Asia needs international support to rebuild from Covid. But help should not come with strings attached. -
25 May 2022
Pacific youth: challenges today need the leaders of tomorrow
On climate, geopolitics, recovering from pandemic, and more – it’s vital to engage youth populations across the region. -
20 May 2022
Lies, damn lies, and North Korea’s Covid statistics
Why has Pyongyang suddenly fessed up to an outbreak after years of insisting the virus has been held completely at bay? -
3 May 2022
Shanghai lockdown prompts collective action
China’s citizens are finding increasingly creative ways to make their voices heard during the pandemic. -
15 Feb 2022
Asia’s Covid waste dilemma
Southeast Asia is taking the brunt of pandemic-generated waste in a looming environmental headache for the region. -
11 Feb 2022
Solomon Islands: A weak nation ravaged by a health crisis
A Covid-19 outbreak so soon after community unrest has left state institutions playing a catch-up game. -
14 Jan 2022
Novak Djokovic – a symbol for anti-vaxxers?
The ruling to deport the tennis ace could hamper his career but transform him into a different type of star. -
11 Jan 2022
When no shots are heard around the world
The saga of Novak Djokovic’s visa has galvanised global attention – with a result that still hangs in the balance. -
24 Dec 2021
Covid-19 and -20 and -21 … Best of The Interpreter 2021
As vaccines rolled out, hope that pandemic lockdowns would end proved short-lived as variants took hold. -
13 Dec 2021
The Interpreter’s 2021 favourites: reconnecting with music and art
Australia might have been locked off from the world in Covid times, but culture knows no bounds. -
6 Dec 2021
Covid in Asia: the immediate payoff of donating vaccines
The latest Lowy Institute Asia Power Index affirms that goodwill goes to the generous. -
30 Nov 2021
Border closures should not be Australia’s default response
The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is a risk to manage but not at the expense of leaving people in limbo. -
22 Nov 2021
Forecasting vaccination in the Pacific
In the race to protect populations, big parts of the region have fallen well behind. -
5 Nov 2021
National self-interest cannot govern global vaccine distribution
The “all” is the most important part of the message that we’re not safe until we’re all safe. -
3 Nov 2021
Politics and Covid-19 funds in Papua New Guinea
Putting the money in the hands of MPs could mean it will never be known just how the funds were used. -
26 Oct 2021
Overcoming community resistance to vaccination in Papua New Guinea
Increasing public demand for vaccines is the key to improving the country’s economic prospects and public safety. -
25 Oct 2021
Assessing Australia’s role in global vaccine equity
Australia has been more generous than most but as geopolitical as China. -
13 Oct 2021
Vietnam had seemingly conquered Covid. Then Delta spread
The Southeast Asian nation is slowly emerging from months of lockdown but has plenty of challenges yet. -
13 Oct 2021
Zooming out of digital diplomacy
It’s time to think beyond the videoconference to allow countries to trust again. -
12 Oct 2021
Australia should donate surplus vaccine to Indonesia
Helping a neighbour in need is far from mere charity but will protect Australia, too. -
30 Sep 2021
Indonesia: painted politics
A street art controversy shows government sensitivity over its Covid-19 response. It’s unlikely to be the last. -
24 Sep 2021
Whipping the Covid-19 vaccine market into shape
The COVAX vaccine procurement facility has run a remarkable race, but needs stable funding for long-term success. -
14 Sep 2021
Diagnosing Indonesia’s health challenges
The sickness in the country’s health system was apparent long before the pandemic. Covid only makes reforms more urgent. -
7 Sep 2021
A blockchain solution to Covid-19 vaccine scams
An international market for fake medicine threatens hard won gains in the global vaccination race. -
23 Aug 2021
Why politics and pandemics don’t mix
Michael Lewis’ stranger-than-fiction take on how America’s public health mechanisms failed in the face of Covid-19. -
20 Aug 2021
As Delta looms, PNG’s vaccine rollout challenges mount
Getting the jab where it is needed is only part of the problem. Making sure people understand the urgency is another. -
17 Aug 2021
Australia should scale up its vaccine diplomacy
Is Australia undermining its own efforts to help other countries in the pandemic? -
4 Aug 2021
Cruising into stormy weather
Covid-19 is not the cruise industry’s only woe. Will America’s love affair with sea voyaging be able to turn the tide? -
19 Jul 2021
Press freedom more important than ever in the Asia–Pacific
A new database tracks incursions and crackdowns on journalists’ capacity to report. -
15 Jul 2021
Indonesia cannot afford to put its economy before people
A religious festival has become a super-spreading event. The government knew the risk but didn’t do enough to stop it. -
14 Jul 2021
Sun, surf and a sandbox escape from a pandemic
Thailand’s holiday island Phuket is trialling vaccine tourism in a bid to recover from the Covid-19 wave. -
12 Jul 2021
Covid crisis deepens in junta-ruled Myanmar
Patchwork restrictions haven’t contained the virus. And now the danger is spilling over the border to neighbours. -
5 Jul 2021
Aiding the Pacific during Covid: An update
While the money is flowing, the outlook for the region has also darkened considerably. -
28 May 2021
Putting the pandemic in perspective
Fareed Zakaria’s new book tells of tiny moments that have led to massive change. -
27 May 2021
Thailand’s overcrowded prisons hit by Covid-19 surge
Amid one of the world’s highest incarceration rates, an outbreak was always a risk. But the government has struggled. -
27 May 2021
Fiji: Cannabis should be high on the government’s agenda
The tourists are gone, and Covid has crippled the economy. A well-regulated marijuana industry might not be a bad idea.