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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 31 Oct 2025
    • Asean
    • Global Economy
    • Climate change
    • Coronavirus
    • Diplomacy
    • Technology

    Resilience diplomacy: The quiet contest shaping the Indo-Pacific

    Shameek Godara
    For middle powers, the ability to help partners withstand shocks may prove more valuable than raw strength.
  • 15 Jul 2025
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus
    • Multilateral Institutions

    One Health diplomacy: How Australia can lead regional disease prevention

    Philippa Nicole Barr
    Scientific collaboration on health threats offers a new pathway for regional influence.
  • 21 May 2025
    • Coronavirus
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations

    The World Health Assembly adopts a historic Pandemic Agreement

    Alexandra Finch
    While the text could have been more ambitious, it nonetheless provides a firm foundation for action on pandemics.
  • 27 Sep 2024
    • Australia
    • Emerging Threats
    • Coronavirus
    • Transnational Challenges
    • United Nations

    Is the world ready for its next big health crisis?

    Rebecca Wakerman Powell
    Antimicrobial resistance will test global responses to health security, just as Covid-19 did.
  • 9 Aug 2024
    • Global Issues
    • Coronavirus
    • Technology

    Olympics doping controversies show global bio governance failures

    Dirk van der Kley
    From Covid to genetically modified foods or DNA databases, the world is not cooperating enough on pathogens and biological technology regulation.
  • 22 May 2024
    • Global Issues
    • Coronavirus
    • International law
    • United Nations

    No, a pandemic treaty will not usurp Australia’s sovereignty

    Alexandra Finch , Lawrence Gostin
    Damaging disinformation harms negotiations and seeks to obscure the fact that states make their own policy decisions.
  • 16 Jan 2024
    • Development Assistance
    • Global Economy
    • Debt
    • Poverty
    • Trade
    • Coronavirus

    Global economic prospects are the worst in decades but investing in the future could be the answer

    Robert Walker
    The World Bank reports on why global growth and poverty reduction are slowing but points to investment as a way forward.
  • 15 Nov 2023
    • Europe
    • Coronavirus
    • Recommendations

    The Fix: On the origin of species

    Richard McGregor
    Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources and helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed.
  • 8 Nov 2023
    • China
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    Haunted by a plague

    Joel Keep , David Heslop
    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
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    Learning the right lessons from Australia’s Covid response

    Tom Chodor , Shahar Hameiri
    The pandemic measures that took us from lucky country to locked-up country have their roots in 1980s neoliberalism.
  • 16 Oct 2023
    • Emerging Threats
    • Coronavirus
    • Technology
    • Transnational Challenges

    Managing risk: Pandemics and plagues in the age of AI

    David Heslop , Joel Keep
    An Australian-initiated international forum could hold the key to controlling unconventional weapons in the age of generative AI.
  • 2 Oct 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • South China Sea
    • Coronavirus
    • International law
    • Transnational Challenges

    The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19

    Jade Lindley , Dhiyaul Aulia Huda
    Poverty, institutional incapacity and budget cuts fuelled a surge in pandemic piracy. The lessons are many.
  • 26 Jul 2023
    • China
    • Australia
    • Trade
    • Coronavirus

    It’s no surprise Australia shrugged off China’s campaign of trade coercion

    Roland Rajah
    New modelling confirms an early Lowy Institute conclusion that Beijing’s bluster would cause minimal economic damage.
  • 11 Jul 2023
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Climate change
    • Coronavirus
    • Digital Disruption
    • Environment
    • Technology
    • Transnational Challenges

    Existential risk is a whole-of-society challenge

    Tom Barber
    From climate change and pandemics to nuclear war and extinction by AI, collective action will be imperative.
  • 18 May 2023
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Coronavirus
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Why the WHO needs Taiwan

    Joel Keep
    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
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    Australia’s mainstream media neglected Asia’s Covid stories

    Ross Tapsell
    A heavy focus on how the US and UK struggled with the pandemic further removed Australians from their neighbourhood.
  • 21 Dec 2022
    • Coronavirus

    Covid-19: from crisis to closure?

    Philippa Nicole Barr
    Moving from pandemic to endemic, many countries have not learnt the lessons of disease preparedness.
  • 16 Dec 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Coronavirus
    • Pacific Islands

    A changing aid landscape in the Pacific

    Alexandre Dayant , Roland Rajah , Riley Duke
    Budget support was favoured during the pandemic, with loans — which must be repaid — also overtaking grants.
  • 13 Dec 2022
    • Europe
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Trade
    • Global Issues
    • Climate change
    • Coronavirus
    • Environment
    • Transnational Challenges
    • The Americas

    2022: A global turning point

    Ian Hill
    Looking at trends and contours that have coalesced this year to make international politics more contested and unpredictable.
  • 7 Sep 2022
    • North Korea
    • Coronavirus

    North Korea’s politics defeats Covid … almost

    Khang Vu
    In one of the world’s most isolated countries, there’s no escaping microbiology, even when you’re the Chairman.
  • 27 Jul 2022
    • Japan
    • India
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Global Issues
    • Environment
    • Coronavirus
    • Climate change
    • United States

    The Quad needs a futures focus

    Abhijnan Rej
    A better – and public – understanding is needed of the cascading effects of regional challenges.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • Southeast Asia
    • Asean
    • Global Economy
    • Coronavirus

    ASEAN and pandemic recovery: Economy before strategic rivalry

    Tiara Putri Indira Dewanti
    Southeast Asia needs international support to rebuild from Covid. But help should not come with strings attached.
  • 25 May 2022
    • Pacific Islands
    • Climate change
    • Coronavirus

    Pacific youth: challenges today need the leaders of tomorrow

    Aidan Craney
    On climate, geopolitics, recovering from pandemic, and more – it’s vital to engage youth populations across the region.
  • 20 May 2022
    • North Korea
    • Coronavirus

    Lies, damn lies, and North Korea’s Covid statistics

    Khang Vu
    Why has Pyongyang suddenly fessed up to an outbreak after years of insisting the virus has been held completely at bay?
  • 3 May 2022
    • China
    • Coronavirus
    • Human rights

    Shanghai lockdown prompts collective action

    Jennifer Hsu
    China’s citizens are finding increasingly creative ways to make their voices heard during the pandemic.
  • 15 Feb 2022
    • Southeast Asia
    • Coronavirus

    Asia’s Covid waste dilemma

    JJ Rose
    Southeast Asia is taking the brunt of pandemic-generated waste in a looming environmental headache for the region.
  • 11 Feb 2022
    • Solomon Islands
    • Coronavirus

    Solomon Islands: A weak nation ravaged by a health crisis

    Derek Gwali Futaiasi
    A Covid-19 outbreak so soon after community unrest has left state institutions playing a catch-up game.
  • 14 Jan 2022
    • Europe
    • Australia
    • Migration
    • Coronavirus

    Novak Djokovic – a symbol for anti-vaxxers?

    Nikola Mikovic
    The ruling to deport the tennis ace could hamper his career but transform him into a different type of star.
  • 11 Jan 2022
    • Europe
    • Australia
    • Migration
    • Coronavirus

    When no shots are heard around the world

    Warwick McFadyen
    The saga of Novak Djokovic’s visa has galvanised global attention – with a result that still hangs in the balance.
  • 24 Dec 2021
    • Review
    • Coronavirus

    Covid-19 and -20 and -21 … Best of The Interpreter 2021

    The Interpreter
    As vaccines rolled out, hope that pandemic lockdowns would end proved short-lived as variants took hold.
  • 13 Dec 2021
    • Australia
    • Review
    • Coronavirus

    The Interpreter’s 2021 favourites: reconnecting with music and art

    Jennifer Hsu
    Australia might have been locked off from the world in Covid times, but culture knows no bounds.
  • 6 Dec 2021
    • Asia
    • Coronavirus

    Covid in Asia: the immediate payoff of donating vaccines

    Alyssa Leng
    The latest Lowy Institute Asia Power Index affirms that goodwill goes to the generous.
  • 30 Nov 2021
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    Border closures should not be Australia’s default response

    Regina Jefferies
    The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is a risk to manage but not at the expense of leaving people in limbo.
  • 22 Nov 2021
    • Coronavirus
    • Pacific Islands

    Forecasting vaccination in the Pacific

    Alexandre Dayant
    In the race to protect populations, big parts of the region have fallen well behind.
  • 5 Nov 2021
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    National self-interest cannot govern global vaccine distribution

    Nicholas Bugeja
    The “all” is the most important part of the message that we’re not safe until we’re all safe.
  • 3 Nov 2021
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Coronavirus

    Politics and Covid-19 funds in Papua New Guinea

    Michael Kabuni
    Putting the money in the hands of MPs could mean it will never be known just how the funds were used.
  • 26 Oct 2021
    • Coronavirus
    • Papua New Guinea

    Overcoming community resistance to vaccination in Papua New Guinea

    Mihai Sora
    Increasing public demand for vaccines is the key to improving the country’s economic prospects and public safety.
  • 25 Oct 2021
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    Assessing Australia’s role in global vaccine equity

    Roland Rajah , Alyssa Leng
    Australia has been more generous than most but as geopolitical as China.
  • 13 Oct 2021
    • Vietnam
    • Coronavirus

    Vietnam had seemingly conquered Covid. Then Delta spread

    Helen Clark
    The Southeast Asian nation is slowly emerging from months of lockdown but has plenty of challenges yet.
  • 13 Oct 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations
    • Coronavirus

    Zooming out of digital diplomacy

    Jeffrey Robertson
    It’s time to think beyond the videoconference to allow countries to trust again.
  • 12 Oct 2021
    • Australia
    • Indonesia
    • Coronavirus

    Australia should donate surplus vaccine to Indonesia

    Josh Burns
    Helping a neighbour in need is far from mere charity but will protect Australia, too.
  • 30 Sep 2021
    • Indonesia
    • Coronavirus

    Indonesia: painted politics

    Stania Puspawardhani
    A street art controversy shows government sensitivity over its Covid-19 response. It’s unlikely to be the last.
  • 24 Sep 2021
    • Development Assistance
    • Coronavirus

    Whipping the Covid-19 vaccine market into shape

    Philippa Nicole Barr
    The COVAX vaccine procurement facility has run a remarkable race, but needs stable funding for long-term success.
  • 14 Sep 2021
    • Indonesia
    • Coronavirus

    Diagnosing Indonesia’s health challenges

    Ariane Utomo , Firman Witoelar
    The sickness in the country’s health system was apparent long before the pandemic. Covid only makes reforms more urgent.
  • 7 Sep 2021
    • Coronavirus

    A blockchain solution to Covid-19 vaccine scams

    Philippa Nicole Barr
    An international market for fake medicine threatens hard won gains in the global vaccination race.
  • 23 Aug 2021
    • United States
    • Review
    • Coronavirus

    Why politics and pandemics don’t mix

    John West
    Michael Lewis’ stranger-than-fiction take on how America’s public health mechanisms failed in the face of Covid-19.
  • 20 Aug 2021
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Coronavirus

    As Delta looms, PNG’s vaccine rollout challenges mount

    Ishani Kaluthotage
    Getting the jab where it is needed is only part of the problem. Making sure people understand the urgency is another.
  • 17 Aug 2021
    • Coronavirus

    Australia should scale up its vaccine diplomacy

    Philippa Nicole Barr
    Is Australia undermining its own efforts to help other countries in the pandemic?
  • 4 Aug 2021
    • Global Issues
    • Coronavirus

    Cruising into stormy weather

    Nick Savvides
    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
    • Global Issues
    • Southeast Asia
    • Coronavirus

    Press freedom more important than ever in the Asia–Pacific

    Olivia Pirie-Griffiths
    A new database tracks incursions and crackdowns on journalists’ capacity to report.
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