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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 7 hours ago
    • Defence & Security
    • France
    • Climate change
    • Pacific Islands

    France as a convening power in the Pacific: The Nouméa SPDMM

    Céline Pajon
    A little known regional dialogue offers France and other countries a chance to contribute to the “Pacific way”.
  • 8 hours ago
    • China
    • Climate change
    • United States

    COP28: A better climate for US-China relations?

    Saira Bano
    As rivalry dominates cooperation, shared concern on the environment is still held out as a chance to stabilise ties.
  • 15 hours ago
    • China
    • Australia

    Ignoring those forgotten

    Will Davies
    There is more shared history between China and Australia than many realise.
  • 1 day ago
    • United States

    Henry Kissinger: A man for the times

    Hugh White
    Driven by a European-style statecraft, one of America’s most controversial figures shaped modern US foreign policy.
  • 1 day ago
    • Environment
    • United Nations

    Inside the tangled negotiations for a global plastic treaty

    Stéphanie Fillion
    Countries want to end plastic pollution by 2040 but haven’t yet found agreement on a path to the goal.
  • 1 day ago
    • Indonesia
    • Indonesia's Economy

    Indonesia: The high cost of high-speed rail

    Neta Cynara Anggina
    A first for Southeast Asia is worth celebrating. But infrastructure spending still must prove itself effective.
  • 1 day ago
    • The Americas

    Argentina: From beggar to chooser

    Juan Battaleme
    Voters backed the promise of a functional economy with fewer restrictions, but the new administration will now need to convince the world.
  • 2 days ago
    • Aid & Development
    • Asean
    • Southeast Asia
    • Australia
    • Energy
    • Technology

    Southeast Asia's minerals: Opportunity knocks

    Ian Satchwell
    Australia should make better use of its regional leadership in minerals technology, skills and governance.
  • 2 days ago
    • Recommendations
    • Review

    The Fix: Simple history is never simplistic

    Mark Pierce
    Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources and helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed.
  • 2 days ago
    • Global Economy
    • Geo-economics
    • United States

    Economic statecraft with American characteristics

    Mark Beeson , Van Jackson
    The United States keeps pitching Asia regional deals for economic arrangements that are not politically viable at home.
  • 28 Nov 2023
    • Middle East Conflict
    • Israel

    Hamas's position is stronger than many think

    Ben Scott
    Hamas has demonstrated surprising resilience and capability since its founding in 1987. It would be a mistake to believe it can be eliminated.
  • 28 Nov 2023
    • Energy
    • Climate change
    • Qatar
    • United Arab Emirates

    The regional realignment on display at COP28

    Achref Chibani
    Middle East nations that built riches on fossil fuels are now presenting as friends for the Global South in an energy transition.
  • 28 Nov 2023
    • North Korea
    • South Korea

    The extra bad news behind the latest Korean break-down

    Gabriela Bernal
    Suspending the 2018 inter-Korean military accord not only fuels mistrust but shows neither side is looking for an off-ramp.
  • 28 Nov 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Technology

    Here come the SuperApps

    Hilman Palaon
    Indonesia’s experience with TikTok shows the challenges posed by social media-e-commerce hybrids.
  • 27 Nov 2023
    • North Korea
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia

    Russia-North Korea: Closer, but not too close

    Ian Hill
    Gushing portrayals of a revived relationship should be treated with caution.
  • 27 Nov 2023
    • China
    • Global Economy
    • Debt
    • Global Issues
    • United States

    Rise of the Redback

    Selwyn Parker
    The US dollar remain the dominant currency. But China – and others – are driving the yuan as an alternative.
  • 27 Nov 2023
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea

    Papua New Guinea: Learning the lessons of language

    Hannah Sarvasy
    Preserving PNG’s linguistic kaleidoscope is as much a connection with the past as a path to the future.
  • 24 Nov 2023
    • Asean
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Technology

    Driving the energy transition within ASEAN

    Nadira Asrifa , Ahmad Munawir Siregar
    Transportation is the life-blood of the regional economy but also a big contributor to environmental costs.
  • 24 Nov 2023
    • Debt
    • Climate change

    De-risking developing country debt

    Roland Rajah , Riley Duke
    Debt suspension clauses should be rolled out by Western lenders, including Australia.
  • 24 Nov 2023
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Pacific Islands
    • Sex and Gender

    China and Taiwan are big Pacific donors – but not for gender equality

    Jessica Collins
    More clarity on the flows of funds would help to assign what little credit is due.
  • 23 Nov 2023
    • India
    • Australia
    • Canada
    • United States

    A delicate dance: latest India allegations test the rules

    Daniel Flitton
    How far can “strategic trust” be stretched?
  • 23 Nov 2023
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • United States

    Economic diplomacy: Hits and misses for Project Diversify

    Greg Earl
    India and Vietnam are the rising new trade partners as business cools on China amid new American protectionism.
  • 23 Nov 2023
    • Climate change
    • United Nations

    Global Goal on Adaptation: Shaping a new framework at COP28

    Georgia Hammersley , Melanie Pill
    Crafting a common metric might be a negotiator’s nightmare but it’s never been more urgent to help the world's most vulnerable.
  • 23 Nov 2023
    • Technology
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • Fiji
    • Nauru
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Tonga
    • Tuvalu
    • Vanuatu

    Digital dominoes: Australia’s strategic play in the Pacific

    Mihai Sora
    Enhancing the region’s digital connectivity goes beyond influence. It’s about sharing prosperity and security, too.
  • 22 Nov 2023
    • India

    Run out: Modi’s cricket dream over

    David Vallance , Teesta Prakash
    Who said politics and sport don’t mix?
  • 22 Nov 2023
    • China
    • Chinese Trade
    • Myanmar
    • Southeast Asia
    • Thailand
    • Trade and Investment in the Asia Pacific
    • Australia and Asia
    • Quad
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Trade

    Why is Myanmar’s new deep-sea port such hot property?

    Shaun Cameron
    An alternative route to the Strait of Malacca offers China, and others, a safer, faster and more efficient trade route.
  • 22 Nov 2023
    • Recommendations

    The Fix: Seeking impact

    Robert Walker
    Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources and helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed.
  • 22 Nov 2023
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Sex and Gender

    Does Australia’s walk match its talk about helping Pacific women advance?

    Jessica Collins
    Big dollars are one thing, meaningful outcomes another.
  • 21 Nov 2023
    • Australia
    • Space exploration

    Australia and space: A step together for the whole nation

    Catherine Wood
    A national space policy is needed to ensure Australia consistently engages across government, industry and global partners alike.
  • 21 Nov 2023
    • Pacific Islands

    A Pacific “zone of peace” – what will it entail?

    Patrick Kaiku , Faith Hope Boie
    An effort is underway to ensure Pacific concepts are not co-opted by geopolitical competition.
  • 21 Nov 2023
    • China
    • India
    • Sustainability

    A fragile lifeline: India and China must collaborate on water

    Neeraj Singh Manhas
    More robust agreements to share the precious resource will result in a win-win for both countries.
  • 20 Nov 2023
    • China
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    Sonar reports much more than a blip in Australia’s relations with China

    Rahman Yaacob
    The latest incident, the first to injure Australian military personnel, appears to signal China’s willingness to test the red line.
  • 20 Nov 2023
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy

    What roles should sport play in Australia’s image and diplomacy?

    Stuart Murray
    The government has dropped the ball in the strategic opportunity presented by sports.
  • 20 Nov 2023
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Sex and Gender

    Pacific Aid Map: Big data gaps are skewing the story about women

    Jessica Collins
    Better reporting is needed to properly understand which projects are targeting gender issues in the region.
  • 20 Nov 2023
    • Middle East Conflict
    • Egypt
    • Iran
    • Iraq
    • Israel
    • Lebanon
    • Qatar
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Syria
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Yemen

    The war in Gaza has not destroyed normalisation … for now

    Lydia Khalil
    Despite deepening hostilities, common strategic interests still bind Israel and most of the Arab states.
  • 20 Nov 2023
    • United Kingdom

    The Chagos dilemma

    David Vallance
    Duelling dynasties, violations of international law, and great power dynamics leave dispossessed Chagossians in limbo.
  • 18 Nov 2023
    • China
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • Australian Navy
    • Defence & Security

    China’s sonar pulse poses another test of Australia’s will

    Sam Roggeveen
    Even with international law on its side, Australia is still grappling with the conundrum of whether might makes right.
  • 17 Nov 2023
    • United Kingdom
    • Review

    Practising politics in a moral wilderness

    Mark Pierce
    Yes Minister, indeed.
  • 17 Nov 2023
    • United Nations
    • Space exploration

    Making space arms control work

    Cassandra Steer
    After a decades-long deadlock, the past two years have seen a giant leap forward in international negotiations.
  • 17 Nov 2023
    • Aid & Development
    • Southeast Asia
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands

    Australian development cooperation: Urgent and important, but “not a priority”

    Richard Moore
    Development policy contradictions reveal the failure of the DFAT-AusAID integration.
  • 16 Nov 2023
    • Australia
    • Energy
    • Climate change
    • Sustainability

    Albanese is right to reject fossil fuel phaseouts

    Lachlan Carey
    The politics of climate change has to be paired with grasping the economics, too.
  • 16 Nov 2023
    • Debt
    • G20

    The G20’s approach on debt has failed

    Mariza Cooray , Robert Walker
    The “Common Framework” shows the perils of announcing solutions before governments have them.
  • 16 Nov 2023
    • India
    • Middle East
    • Israel

    India’s Gaza dilemma

    Henry Storey
    The Israeli–Palestinian conflict exposes a gap between New Delhi’s Global South leadership aspirations and its realpolitik.
  • 15 Nov 2023
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy

    The foreign policy case for the PM to spend more time at home

    Daniel Flitton
    Instead of tall poppy syndrome, ask about effectiveness.
  • 15 Nov 2023
    • China
    • Australia

    How China’s media reported Albanese’s visit

    Bob Tan
    Some messages appear subtle – others, expectedly blunt.
  • 15 Nov 2023
    • Human rights
    • Migration
    • Technology
    • Transnational Challenges

    Human trafficking: Harnessing technology to help those most vulnerable

    Cate Sumner
    Delivering legal services to victims often means overcoming barriers in language, information and distance.
  • 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.
  • 15 Nov 2023
    • Australia
    • European Union
    • United Kingdom
    • Technology
    • United States

    The Bletchley Park artificial intelligence summit: Good optics, less substance

    José-Miguel Bello y Villarino , Kimberlee Weatherall
    A jumbled collection of commonplace platitudes does not a remarkable outcome make.
  • 14 Nov 2023
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Tuvalu

    A Pacific union: Australia-Tuvalu deal goes well beyond climate

    Donald R Rothwell
    This tailored arrangement has implications for AUKUS, legal proceedings, as well as the potential resettlement of climate refugees.
  • 14 Nov 2023
    • Japan
    • Philippines
    • Maritime Security

    Japan’s new golden age in Southeast Asia

    Richard Javad Heydarian
    Tokyo’s recent geopolitical assertiveness cements its position as a regional security and economic powerhouse.
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