Skip to main content
The Interpreter

Interpreter - Menu Links

  • Articles
  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • About

Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 14 Oct 2022
    • Israel
    • Lebanon

    The good oil: Israel and Lebanon strike a border deal

    Rodger Shanahan
    In a region where good news is rare, patient diplomacy can celebrate a win.
  • 14 Oct 2022
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan
    • Terrorism
    • Human rights

    Enemies of education are back in Malala’s hometown? 

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    Fresh attacks by the Pakistani Taliban mark an alarming regression in the decade-long progress made in the region.
  • 13 Oct 2022
    • China
    • Australia
    • Review

    Found in translation: Australia and China’s shared history

    Angela Lehmann
    A memoir on collective historical baggage has much to teach about the evolution and maturation of both nations.
  • 12 Oct 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    World Mental Health Day: reflections from Papua New Guinea

    Kylie McKenna , Peter Nasale
    Misunderstandings about the challenges involved are resulting in stigma, unemployment and isolation.
  • 12 Oct 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    If Russia breaks the nuclear taboo

    Robert Ayson
    Would the use of a lower yield atomic weapon really prompt the same catastrophic logic of escalation?
  • 12 Oct 2022
    • China
    • China's Economy
    • China's Government

    Xi Jinping: when enough is too much

    Hamish McDonald
    Worried about the rise of China? Maybe you should be rooting for another five-year term from the supreme leader.
  • 12 Oct 2022
    • United Kingdom

    Liz Truss and foreign policy: expect the unexpected

    David Wells
    The new PM may see global affairs as welcome theatre to demonstrate leadership and distract from domestic pressure.
  • 11 Oct 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Australian Development Assistance
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea
    • United States

    The Global Fragility Act in PNG: can the US succeed?

    Jessica Collins
    A seemingly radical approach that relies on prevention and relinquishing control may be a foreign policy game-changer.
  • 10 Oct 2022
    • Australia's Trade
    • European Union
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Free Trade
    • Trade

    EU in the driver’s seat on Indo-Pacific trade deals

    Justin Brown
    Is the New Zealand–European Union free trade agreement an omen for Australia’s negotiations?
  • 10 Oct 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • Sustainability

    Sustainable catch: better Indonesia-Australia cooperation on fishing

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    A new agreement is a chance to address the core problems of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
  • 10 Oct 2022
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Public Opinion

    Australia and Pacific Islands: Polls apart?

    Meg Keen
    Without a comprehensive public opinion survey of Pacific people, common attitudes can be challenging to identify.
  • 7 Oct 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia

    A new aid strategy: purpose, priorities, and plumbing

    Cameron Hill
    The government has a chance to define the criteria used in the hard choices about how to allocate scarce aid dollars.
  • 6 Oct 2022
    • North Korea

    Come what may, North Korea perseveres

    Khang Vu
    No manner of sanctions appears to dent Pyongyang’s determination to remain solitary and nuclear armed.
  • 6 Oct 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Multilateral Development Banks

    Economic diplomacy: Time for transparency on aid reform

    Greg Earl
    A new study reveals difficult trade-offs between development spending on governance and the decline of democracy.
  • 6 Oct 2022
    • Maldives
    • ISIS
    • Migration

    Maldives: the legacy of Islamic State

    John Kachtik
    More Maldivians per capita went to Syria to fight than any other country. Reintegration is a significant challenge.
  • 5 Oct 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Timor-Leste

    A free trade zone for Timor-Leste and Indonesia

    Fidelis Magalhães
    Regional stability, economic resilience and mutual prosperity – what’s not to like about a cross-border FTZ?
  • 5 Oct 2022
    • Japan
    • North Korea
    • South Korea
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • United States

    Hot button issue: North Korea’s bold new nuclear stance

    Gabriela Bernal
    Regional leaders would do well to focus on engagement with Pyongyang after missile launches set a dangerous precedent.
  • 4 Oct 2022
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy

    Diversity and inclusion: Australia’s global aim to walk the talk

    Danielle Ireland-Piper , Robin Perry
    It helps to ensure feelings of respect and value infuse diplomacy – and the management of foreign relations, too.
  • 4 Oct 2022
    • Australia
    • ISIS
    • Migration

    Islamic State: women, justice, and a complex impasse

    Rodger Shanahan
    What charges are laid against women returned to Australia will help us better understand the role they played in Syria.
  • 4 Oct 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Development Assistance
    • Asia
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Multilateral Development Banks

    Building a better development finance institution: Australia’s opportunity

    Jessica Mackenzie , Alberto Lemma
    Canberra can learn a lot about risk appetite and the culture of financing from those already in the space.
  • 4 Oct 2022
    • Philippines
    • Defence & Security

    Philippines’ subs: the AUKUS inspiration

    Chester Cabalza , Joshua Espeña
    Manila can make its mark in the Indo-Pacific by choosing its friends, and its maritime deterrents, strategically.
  • 3 Oct 2022
    • Diplomacy
    • Pacific Islands
    • United States

    “See it through my lens”: the optics of fashion diplomacy

    Kate Clayton , Henrietta McNeill
    Sunglasses are a staple in the US President’s diplomatic style but not every leader can share the benefit.
  • 3 Oct 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Timor-Leste
    • Australia

    Greater Sunrise: Can Timor-Leste play the “China card”?

    Teesta Prakash , Jack Sato
    Beijing is a minor player in development finance for Dili – but it’s a different story with state-owned enterprises.
  • 29 Sep 2022
    • Human rights
    • Papua New Guinea

    Ending capital punishment for good in Papua New Guinea

    Moses Sakai
    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
    • Australia

    Myanmar: a desperate junta trying, and failing, to shore up its legitimacy

    Adam Simpson
    Sentencing Sean Turnell to jail won’t help the Myanmar junta’s international isolation or its domestic problems.
  • 29 Sep 2022
    • China
    • China's Economy
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Sustainability

    Water scarcity challenges China’s development model

    Henry Storey
    With its industry and agriculture reliant on diminishing H2O, a crisis looms for the world’s most populous country.
  • 29 Sep 2022
    • Iran

    Iran protests: the more things change …

    Rodger Shanahan
    Iranians see demonstrations as a chance to register their voice – but that doesn’t mean the regime is about to topple.
  • 28 Sep 2022
    • China's Military
    • Australia's Defence Challenges
    • Australian Defence Force
    • Defence & Security
    • Maritime Security

    Buying the wrong submarine

    Peter Layton
    Being able to sink ships doesn’t end a war. Australia should consider ballistic nuclear missile subs as an alternative.
  • 28 Sep 2022
    • Japan

    “Predatory cult”: the shadow of Unification Church over Abe’s funeral

    Lydia Khalil
    Researcher Sarah Hightower explains Japan’s reckoning over the influence of a controversial sect in Japanese politics.
  • 27 Sep 2022
    • Iran

    After Mahsa Amini’s death, Iran protests signal a generational shift

    Paymon Azmoudeh
    The regime is struggling to contain demonstrations that demand nothing less than an end to the Islamic Republic.
  • 27 Sep 2022
    • Pacific Islands

    The president vs the judge: How Kiribati came to a constitutional standoff

    Anna Dziedzic
    Judicial independence and access to justice is at risk as judges face deportation and suspension from office.
  • 26 Sep 2022
    • India
    • Nepal

    Animal attractions: India confronts a neighbourhood dilemma

    Aarti Betigeri
    Wildlife doesn’t care for political boundaries, but nationalism can prove a stubborn obstacle to conservation efforts.
  • 26 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • United States

    Taiwan: Biden risks talking himself into a war he cannot win

    Hugh White
    The military balance is shifting China’s way, and half-abandoning a policy of strategic ambiguity won’t change that.
  • 25 Sep 2022
    • Russia
    • Digital Disruption
    • Technology
    • United Nations

    A neck-and-neck election for the future of the internet

    Mercedes Page
    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
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Ukraine conflict: turning point?

    Ian Hill
    Putin’s new escalatory threats and the near-existential battle for Russia and its president.
  • 23 Sep 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Global Economy
    • Multilateral Development Banks
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Six reasons to be cautious about Australia establishing a DFI

    Jenny Gordon
    As soon as public money is on the table, there will be a line of players looking to “clip the ticket”.
  • 21 Sep 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Indonesia's Economy
    • Australia and Climate Change
    • Climate change

    Making sense of Indonesia’s fuel riots

    Eduard Lazarus
    Cutting subsidies is a step in the right direction, but a more robust social safety net is ultimately a better fix.
  • 21 Sep 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Sex and Gender

    Economic diplomacy: Womenomics shifts from Tokyo to Jakarta

    Greg Earl
    Can a female finance minister in Indonesia avoid the demographic dilemma that has handicapped Japan’s evolution?
  • 21 Sep 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Climate change
    • United Nations

    Guterres whistles in the wind

    Mark Beeson
    Yes, “our planet is burning”, yet those leaders with the power to act are stubbornly guarding their own little patch.
  • 20 Sep 2022
    • Central Asia
    • China
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    The war in Ukraine is pushing Central Asia away from Russia

    Bermet Talant
    Russia’s loss has been China’s gain.
  • 20 Sep 2022
    • Bangladesh
    • Myanmar
    • Human rights
    • International law

    The Rohingya issue requires a regional solution

    David Brewster
    Leaving close to a million people in limbo poses a danger not only for the refugees but to regional peace.
  • 20 Sep 2022
    • Terrorism

    Right-wing extremists: the danger not of bombs but ballots

    Daniel Byman
    The movement is clearly capable of violence yet proved divided and poorly trained. But campaigning is another matter.
  • 20 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • The Biden Presidency
    • United States

    What does Biden mean on Taiwan?

    Robert Ayson
    When Washington doesn’t speak with one voice, its powers of strategic ambiguity are slowly chipped away.
  • 19 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Russia

    China’s ungainly balancing act with Russia

    Michael Clarke
    The promise is a “no limits” friendship. But there are evident boundaries, all the same.
  • 19 Sep 2022
    • Defence & Security

    Blue-sky thinking on the Defence Strategic Review

    Victor Abramowicz
    A broader view of security offers enormous potential benefits for Australia.
  • 18 Sep 2022
    • India
    • Sri Lanka
    • Asylum Seekers

    Concern for Sri Lankans fleeing to India amid economic crisis

    Prarthana Sen
    A close haven carries appeal, but can life ever be settled without a legal status?
  • 16 Sep 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Australian Development Assistance
    • Australian Foreign Aid

    Five reasons Australia should establish a Development Finance Institution

    Roland Rajah
    A DFI would expand Canberra’s development toolkit and re-establish the country as a serious financing partner in Asia.
  • 16 Sep 2022
    • Global Issues

    Disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction in Asia-Pacific

    Renee Dodds
    Consulting people with disabilities about their experience and needs is a first step in leading preparations.
  • 15 Sep 2022
    • Global Economy
    • IMF
    • Transnational Challenges

    Digital finance makes international cooperation even more important

    Jenny Gordon
    In a world without physical cash, differing standards for digital currencies risk creating exclusionary trade blocs.
  • 14 Sep 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • Terrorism

    Bali 2002: When global terrorism first came close to home

    Ian Kemish
    An extraordinary consular response followed the deadly attack – lessons of crisis that would become all too familiar.
Pagination
  • Previous page ‹‹
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Current page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Page 9
  • …
  • Next page ››

Stay informed with the latest commentary and analysis on international events from experts at the Lowy Institute and around the world.

Register

The Interpreter features in-depth analysis & expert commentary on the latest international events, published daily by the Lowy Institute

© Copyright 2023 Lowy Institute

  • Debates
  • Contributors
  • Articles
  • About
  • Comments Policy
  • My Bookmarks
  • Terms of Use
  • Site map
  • My Admin
  • Log In