4 hours ago
France-Australia: Salving the wounds of AUKUS
After the crisis over the subs deal, both countries stand to benefit from a normalisation of ties.
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10 hours ago
Women leaders: not so poles apart
In seemingly different settings, Jacinda Ardern and Nancy Pelosi confronted much the same challenges. -
1 day ago
Australia’s Myanmar sanctions: now for the real decisions
Two years after the coup, there are still many reasons why Canberra is stepping cautiously with its punitive measures. -
1 day ago
Marles torpedoes French subs, but is yet to explain nuclear advantage
For such a high-stakes and expensive enterprise the public deserves to know not just what boats we’re getting, but why. -
1 day ago
Indonesia gets the ball rolling on domestic worker rights
Jakarta’s call to legislate its informal workforce should be a model for all countries that receive migrant workers. -
2 days ago
Europe: Crossing the East-West divide
A new alignment challenges France and Germany as drivers of European politics – offering Britain a chance for influence. -
2 days ago
Australia’s return to must-win wars
The future is not the past. Australia needs to reset its strategic thinking and plan to win the wars it fights. -
2 days ago
For PNG, Albanese’s visit was about more than just security
Dealing with Australia and keeping a door open to China gives James Marape the chance to foster the local economy. -
30 Jan 2023
Getting it together: Pacific engagement still lacks coordination
Showing collective action across countries and sectors is essential to Pacific development and winning friends. -
27 Jan 2023
How Russia loses allies amid the war in Ukraine
Setbacks in the Kremlin’s campaign are causing regional supporters to think twice about the Eurasian military alliance. -
26 Jan 2023
Sanctions help bring accountability in Bangladesh
Extrajudicial killings and disappearances have dropped dramatically, with the government aware the world is watching. -
25 Jan 2023
Lithium, lightest metal on earth, carries heavy geopolitical weight
Instead of a source of great tech power competition, lithium should be key to a collective fight against climate change. -
25 Jan 2023
Chinese aid to the Pacific: decreasing, but not disappearing
With fewer Chinese finances available and less demand from Pacific countries, geopolitical competition is opening up. -
24 Jan 2023
Japan and ASEAN: 50 years of maritime strategy
Collaboration on ending illegal fishing and piracy in the region is important. But there are also bigger fish to fry. -
24 Jan 2023
Reality-checking the democracy agenda
Indonesia presents valuable lessons in Australia’s support for democracy in the Asia-Pacific. -
23 Jan 2023
With travel back, summit diplomacy is revamped
The foreign policy calendar for 2023 is stacked for a big year of geopolitics. -
23 Jan 2023
How will China’s punitive trade restrictions against Australia end?
Good vibes could turn into a solution – but if China demands a quid pro quo, reaching agreement will be complex. -
20 Jan 2023
How an Australian freed an unfinished nation’s history
The fascinating story of how Indonesia came to better know itself through a time of repressive regimes. -
20 Jan 2023
An enduring formula for Australian foreign policy
Relationships, forums and neighbours are still a winning combination for Canberra on the global stage. -
19 Jan 2023
Jacinda Ardern’s foreign policy legacy
Major shocks set an agenda and catapulted New Zealand’s youngest ever Prime Minister to international attention. -
19 Jan 2023
Weaving webs of statecraft in the Pacific Islands
Gaining influence in the region is about tools and techniques, not just the actors. -
19 Jan 2023
The acid test: legal moves to force action on climate change
Small island states are now adopting a determined strategy of “lawfare” to bring attention to environmental threats. -
18 Jan 2023
Link start-ups ecosystems to build influence in Southeast Asia
Australia should launch a major initiative to support investment with new business prospects in the region. -
18 Jan 2023
“If the problem becomes more serious”: South Korea talks going nuclear
The high stakes on Korean Peninsula have quickly become even more acute in 2023. -
17 Jan 2023
Fiji’s new politics
After a first smooth change of power, forging consensus in a nation renowned for ethnic tension poses a continued test. -
17 Jan 2023
Australia should have more public holidays – but make them civic and secular
Allowing people to choose their own days of significance would better reflect our modern national identity. -
16 Jan 2023
A seat at the negotiating table: How women are building peace in Yemen
Peace is not just the absence of conflict but dismantling the structures that contribute to gender-based violence. -
16 Jan 2023
Towards meaningful Quad cooperation on intelligence
Collaborative AI capabilities would allow the partners to deepen military cooperation, should leaders choose that step. -
13 Jan 2023
PNG needs a census, not more population estimates
Knowing a true number of residents is crucial to set development goals – for local government and foreign partners. -
13 Jan 2023
Undue suspicion of Chinese Australian scientists slows progress
Clear guidance is needed how national security is assessed in research and what are the boundaries of collaboration. -
12 Jan 2023
The hard road to justice for Russian war crimes
Prosecution of war crimes in Ukraine are crucial to maintain international law and the peace and security it promotes. -
12 Jan 2023
Our public holidays should reflect Australia’s multicultural make-up
Many countries in the region already have more public holidays to recognise diverse cultural and religious populations. -
11 Jan 2023
Crossing the carbon border
International trade is skewed in favour of exporters who pay less for carbon emissions. The EU wants to change that. -
10 Jan 2023
The Korean Peninsula: Why 2023 will not be like 2017
“Fire and fury” had more to do with the temperament of the White House, while Pyongyang provokes with purpose. -
10 Jan 2023
Avenging the century of humiliation, one artefact at a time
The looting of Beijing’s “Garden of Eternal Brightness” by European armies in 1860 lingers in tales of the diaspora. -
9 Jan 2023
Asian Century White Paper: a decade on
The language may have changed, but the message stays the same. -
6 Jan 2023
Twenty years after Bali
Indonesia’s police, military and prisons were altered by the 2002 attack. Democratic backsliding may signal an undoing. -
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. -
4 Jan 2023
The personal is political: Iran protests for a normal life
The regime has trampled not only women’s rights. An array of grievances makes everyone a leader of this struggle. -
3 Jan 2023
CCP: Who makes up the party
Demography is destiny, as is said – and the numbers in China make for a compelling story. -
30 Dec 2022
How to Interpret 2022: A Taiwan crisis
One of Asia’s flashpoints again tested regional relations, as well as analysts. -
29 Dec 2022
Pop culture politics: How to Interpret 2022
“Soft power” or reputation risk, the cross-over of popular entertainment and global politics is never far from the news. -
28 Dec 2022
How to Interpret 2022: Australians change government
What our columnists and contributors made of the protagonists and power plays during this year’s federal election. -
27 Dec 2022
How to Interpret 2022: Solomon Islands strikes a deal
Honiara’s foreign policy caused ripples across the region, as we round up highlights of the year from The Interpreter. -
23 Dec 2022
How to Interpret 2022: Russia invades Ukraine
Vladimir Putin seemed convinced Kyiv would fall in days. We look back at ten months of war. -
22 Dec 2022
The Interpreter 2022: Your most-read articles
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated the year. But readers also wanted to know all about Southeast Asia’s elections. -
21 Dec 2022
Seeking independence: three books to read this summer
From Timorese history and Bougainville’s dreams to Australia’s regional stories, catch up on essential background. -
21 Dec 2022
Covid-19: from crisis to closure?
Moving from pandemic to endemic, many countries have not learnt the lessons of disease preparedness. -
20 Dec 2022
Fiji’s coalition of convenience: what’s next?
A focus on recovery from the pandemic makes international support essential, whichever coalition forms government. -
20 Dec 2022
Zelenskyy: when the “Lion of Kyiv” addressed the Lowy Institute
The anatomy of an interview with a wartime president.