14 Oct 2022
The good oil: Israel and Lebanon strike a border deal
In a region where good news is rare, patient diplomacy can celebrate a win.
-
-
14 Oct 2022
Enemies of education are back in Malala’s hometown?
Fresh attacks by the Pakistani Taliban mark an alarming regression in the decade-long progress made in the region. -
13 Oct 2022
Found in translation: Australia and China’s shared history
A memoir on collective historical baggage has much to teach about the evolution and maturation of both nations. -
12 Oct 2022
World Mental Health Day: reflections from Papua New Guinea
Misunderstandings about the challenges involved are resulting in stigma, unemployment and isolation. -
12 Oct 2022
If Russia breaks the nuclear taboo
Would the use of a lower yield atomic weapon really prompt the same catastrophic logic of escalation? -
12 Oct 2022
Xi Jinping: when enough is too much
Worried about the rise of China? Maybe you should be rooting for another five-year term from the supreme leader. -
12 Oct 2022
Liz Truss and foreign policy: expect the unexpected
The new PM may see global affairs as welcome theatre to demonstrate leadership and distract from domestic pressure. -
11 Oct 2022
The Global Fragility Act in PNG: can the US succeed?
A seemingly radical approach that relies on prevention and relinquishing control may be a foreign policy game-changer. -
10 Oct 2022
EU in the driver’s seat on Indo-Pacific trade deals
Is the New Zealand–European Union free trade agreement an omen for Australia’s negotiations? -
10 Oct 2022
Sustainable catch: better Indonesia-Australia cooperation on fishing
A new agreement is a chance to address the core problems of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. -
10 Oct 2022
Australia and Pacific Islands: Polls apart?
Without a comprehensive public opinion survey of Pacific people, common attitudes can be challenging to identify. -
7 Oct 2022
A new aid strategy: purpose, priorities, and plumbing
The government has a chance to define the criteria used in the hard choices about how to allocate scarce aid dollars. -
6 Oct 2022
Come what may, North Korea perseveres
No manner of sanctions appears to dent Pyongyang’s determination to remain solitary and nuclear armed. -
6 Oct 2022
Economic diplomacy: Time for transparency on aid reform
A new study reveals difficult trade-offs between development spending on governance and the decline of democracy. -
6 Oct 2022
Maldives: the legacy of Islamic State
More Maldivians per capita went to Syria to fight than any other country. Reintegration is a significant challenge. -
5 Oct 2022
A free trade zone for Timor-Leste and Indonesia
Regional stability, economic resilience and mutual prosperity – what’s not to like about a cross-border FTZ? -
5 Oct 2022
Hot button issue: North Korea’s bold new nuclear stance
Regional leaders would do well to focus on engagement with Pyongyang after missile launches set a dangerous precedent. -
4 Oct 2022
Diversity and inclusion: Australia’s global aim to walk the talk
It helps to ensure feelings of respect and value infuse diplomacy – and the management of foreign relations, too. -
4 Oct 2022
Islamic State: women, justice, and a complex impasse
What charges are laid against women returned to Australia will help us better understand the role they played in Syria. -
4 Oct 2022
Building a better development finance institution: Australia’s opportunity
Canberra can learn a lot about risk appetite and the culture of financing from those already in the space. -
4 Oct 2022
Philippines’ subs: the AUKUS inspiration
Manila can make its mark in the Indo-Pacific by choosing its friends, and its maritime deterrents, strategically. -
3 Oct 2022
“See it through my lens”: the optics of fashion diplomacy
Sunglasses are a staple in the US President’s diplomatic style but not every leader can share the benefit. -
3 Oct 2022
Greater Sunrise: Can Timor-Leste play the “China card”?
Beijing is a minor player in development finance for Dili – but it’s a different story with state-owned enterprises. -
29 Sep 2022
Ending capital punishment for good in Papua New Guinea
In PNG’s history, the death penalty has now been abolished twice. The country can take a step to see it never returns. -
29 Sep 2022
Myanmar: a desperate junta trying, and failing, to shore up its legitimacy
Sentencing Sean Turnell to jail won’t help the Myanmar junta’s international isolation or its domestic problems. -
29 Sep 2022
Water scarcity challenges China’s development model
With its industry and agriculture reliant on diminishing H2O, a crisis looms for the world’s most populous country. -
29 Sep 2022
Iran protests: the more things change …
Iranians see demonstrations as a chance to register their voice – but that doesn’t mean the regime is about to topple. -
28 Sep 2022
Buying the wrong submarine
Being able to sink ships doesn’t end a war. Australia should consider ballistic nuclear missile subs as an alternative. -
28 Sep 2022
“Predatory cult”: the shadow of Unification Church over Abe’s funeral
Researcher Sarah Hightower explains Japan’s reckoning over the influence of a controversial sect in Japanese politics. -
27 Sep 2022
After Mahsa Amini’s death, Iran protests signal a generational shift
The regime is struggling to contain demonstrations that demand nothing less than an end to the Islamic Republic. -
27 Sep 2022
The president vs the judge: How Kiribati came to a constitutional standoff
Judicial independence and access to justice is at risk as judges face deportation and suspension from office. -
26 Sep 2022
Animal attractions: India confronts a neighbourhood dilemma
Wildlife doesn’t care for political boundaries, but nationalism can prove a stubborn obstacle to conservation efforts. -
26 Sep 2022
Taiwan: Biden risks talking himself into a war he cannot win
The military balance is shifting China’s way, and half-abandoning a policy of strategic ambiguity won’t change that. -
25 Sep 2022
A neck-and-neck election for the future of the internet
As the war in Ukraine goes from bad to worse, Russia may still win a vote to reshape the net as we know it. -
25 Sep 2022
Ukraine conflict: turning point?
Putin’s new escalatory threats and the near-existential battle for Russia and its president. -
23 Sep 2022
Six reasons to be cautious about Australia establishing a DFI
As soon as public money is on the table, there will be a line of players looking to “clip the ticket”. -
21 Sep 2022
Making sense of Indonesia’s fuel riots
Cutting subsidies is a step in the right direction, but a more robust social safety net is ultimately a better fix. -
21 Sep 2022
Economic diplomacy: Womenomics shifts from Tokyo to Jakarta
Can a female finance minister in Indonesia avoid the demographic dilemma that has handicapped Japan’s evolution? -
21 Sep 2022
Guterres whistles in the wind
Yes, “our planet is burning”, yet those leaders with the power to act are stubbornly guarding their own little patch. -
20 Sep 2022
The war in Ukraine is pushing Central Asia away from Russia
Russia’s loss has been China’s gain. -
20 Sep 2022
The Rohingya issue requires a regional solution
Leaving close to a million people in limbo poses a danger not only for the refugees but to regional peace. -
20 Sep 2022
Right-wing extremists: the danger not of bombs but ballots
The movement is clearly capable of violence yet proved divided and poorly trained. But campaigning is another matter. -
20 Sep 2022
What does Biden mean on Taiwan?
When Washington doesn’t speak with one voice, its powers of strategic ambiguity are slowly chipped away. -
19 Sep 2022
China’s ungainly balancing act with Russia
The promise is a “no limits” friendship. But there are evident boundaries, all the same. -
19 Sep 2022
Blue-sky thinking on the Defence Strategic Review
A broader view of security offers enormous potential benefits for Australia. -
18 Sep 2022
Concern for Sri Lankans fleeing to India amid economic crisis
A close haven carries appeal, but can life ever be settled without a legal status? -
16 Sep 2022
Five reasons Australia should establish a Development Finance Institution
A DFI would expand Canberra’s development toolkit and re-establish the country as a serious financing partner in Asia. -
16 Sep 2022
Disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific
Consulting people with disabilities about their experience and needs is a first step in leading preparations. -
15 Sep 2022
Digital finance makes international cooperation even more important
In a world without physical cash, differing standards for digital currencies risk creating exclusionary trade blocs. -
14 Sep 2022
Bali 2002: When global terrorism first came close to home
An extraordinary consular response followed the deadly attack – lessons of crisis that would become all too familiar.