Articles | Lowy Institute

6 Apr 2022
United Nations

China

Human rights
The mysterious missing UN report on human rights abuses in Xinjiang

Mercedes Page

Months of stalling over the release of a long-completed investigation raises suspicions about China’s pressure tactics.
6 Apr 2022
Defence & Security

South China Sea

Asean

International law
Protecting law and order at sea means educating people on their rights

Jay Batongbacal

Broad understanding about the need to balance and compromise interests will strengthen the system of international law.
6 Apr 2022
Indonesia
Democracy or dynasty? Megawati delivers Jokowi a clip

Johannes Nugroho

Talk of extending the Indonesian president’s tenure has earned a revealing rebuke from his political patron.
5 Apr 2022
Maritime Security

China's Military

India's Navy

Australian Navy
Of maritime security and a rules-based order

Abhijit Singh

All good in theory, but the operational logistics of multinational cooperation at sea will take more than narratives.
5 Apr 2022
Philippines
Bongbong Marcos closes in on the Philippines presidency

Andrea Chloe Wong

A significant polling lead for the late dictator’s son reveals a political resurrection and a fragile democracy.
5 Apr 2022
Asia
Why liberalism has few friends in Asia

John Keane

The damage inflicted on the region by European imperialism was not forgotten – a backlash that continues to the present.
4 Apr 2022
Defence & Security

South China Sea

Asean

China

Southeast Asia
Cause and effect: The right security architecture for the Indo-Pacific

Ian Storey

Limitations in the established rules and forums have led the region to innovate.
4 Apr 2022
Defence & Security

United States

Australia

India

United Kingdom
AUKUS can be a good platform for cooperation with India

David Brewster

And it wouldn’t be the first time the partners had worked together, either.
1 Apr 2022
South China Sea

International law
“Lawfare” in the South China Sea disputes

Tara Davenport

Legal mechanisms, while not definitive, have compelled the claimants to examine their position and communicate them.
1 Apr 2022
Asia

New Voices
Youth politics in East and Southeast Asia

Adhiraaj Anand

Traditional parties are up against an unstoppable force of young activists set to shape democracy in the region.
1 Apr 2022
Cyber Warfare

Cyber Security

Russia

Technology

Ukraine
Ukraine: This isn’t the information war you were looking for

Lesley Seebeck

But watch a change in tempo for cyber operations as the on-the-ground military situation trends towards stalemate.
31 Mar 2022
Defence & Security

Maritime Security
Order at sea: Southeast Asia’s maritime security

Geoffrey Till

Regional capacity building and the maintenance of good order in its waters are vital for the region’s ongoing stability.
31 Mar 2022
Diplomacy

China

Russia

Ukraine
War represents a failure of diplomacy. It pays to read past page one.

Kerry Brown

I hope Ukraine’s ambassador enjoyed reading my book in the Security Council. Here’s the message I wanted to send.
31 Mar 2022
China

Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands asserts its sovereignty – with China and the West

Tarcisius Kabutaulaka

The danger is geopolitical competition being appropriated by local actors on both sides of local political tensions.
30 Mar 2022
Diplomacy

Australia
A silver lining to DFAT’s budgetary woes

Mercedes Page

A funding boost to diplomacy won’t instantly lift Australia’s influence. Better to think hard on what the country needs.
30 Mar 2022
Afghanistan

Central Asia

Russia
Russia’s effort to escape diplomatic isolation

Ed Wyatt

Moscow may turn to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation in Central Asia to prove its regional standing is intact.
30 Mar 2022
North Korea

South Korea
Why now? The timing of North Korea’s ICBM test

Khang Vu

History has an alarming habit of repeating on the Korean peninsula.
29 Mar 2022
Pacific Islands

Australia

Migration
Changing our view of Pacific visas

Jessica Collins

Australia’s claims to be part of the “Pacific family” would be helped by more migration options – especially for women.
29 Mar 2022
India

Maldives
India consolidates its role in southern Maldives

David Brewster

But Australia and other international partners have a role, too.
29 Mar 2022
International Relations
Ukraine suffers under realism’s Pyrrhic victory

Mark Beeson

Military muscle flexing, deterrence policies and sanctions against Russia mask much bigger existential problems.
28 Mar 2022
Papua New Guinea
PNG’s 2022 election takes shape

Maholopa Laveil

Parochial issues tend to dominate voter choices. But a pandemic and economy stress could make for restless elections.
28 Mar 2022
Russia

Ukraine
Time and troops in finite supply for Russia’s army in Ukraine

Peter Layton

Forced to call in conscripts, reservists and foreign fighters, Putin’s miscalculation is beginning to bite.
28 Mar 2022
Philippines
How the Marcos family could rule again in the Philippines

Adele Webb

In a country where the average age is 25, has collective memory been washed of the nation’s iron-fisted kleptocrat?
25 Mar 2022
Australia

China

Solomon Islands
Solomons: Putting a draft security deal with China in local context

Derek Gwali Futaiasi

Honiara’s negotiations with Beijing may raise alarm but it should not come as a surprise to Canberra.
25 Mar 2022
South China Sea

Asean

China

Indonesia

Vietnam

Philippines

Malaysia
Stiffening the ASEAN spine in the South China Sea

Arrizal Jaknanihan

Any “minilateral” grouping among Southeast Asian nations must be mindful of its internal contradictions.
25 Mar 2022
Asean

Australia and Asia

Human rights
What counts for victims of trafficking?

Cate Sumner

Sharing data is key to combatting human rights abuses against vulnerable groups from the ASEAN region.
25 Mar 2022
Global Issues

Climate change
The logistical challenge of responding to disaster

Lina Gong

Climate change will not only make for more frequent emergencies – it will change how and from where to provide relief.
24 Mar 2022
Diplomacy

United States
Madeleine Albright: “I have come a long way, so I must be frank”

Daniel Flitton

The first woman to serve as US Secretary of State also inspired the first woman to be Australia’s Foreign Minister.
24 Mar 2022
Global Economy

United States

IMF

Russia

Technology

Ukraine
Economic diplomacy: Cryptocurrency (quietly) joins a new world order

Greg Earl

From Bitcoin to the greenback, beyond Ukraine a battle is also underway in global finance.
24 Mar 2022
Australia in the World

Defence & Security
Can states have strategic personalities?

Ian Hall , Renee Jeffery

Understanding Australian traits and behaviours could explain how the country works with others – and how it’s perceived.
24 Mar 2022
Australia and the Pacific

Climate change
Climate change in the Pacific – what Australia needs to do

Peter Hooton

Canberra’s insipid approach to climate action undermines trust and endangers vital interests close to home.
23 Mar 2022
Pacific Islands

Papua New Guinea

Russia

Ukraine
Pacific nations send a message on Ukraine – and great power rivalries

Patrick Kaiku

Pacific states are watching Ukraine because their sovereignty and territorial integrity can also easily be violated.
23 Mar 2022
Timor-Leste
Key questions as Timor‑Leste’s presidential contest goes to a run-off

Parker Novak

The first round of voting showed resistance-era figures still dominate. But questions swirl over who wins the prize.
23 Mar 2022
Russia

Ukraine
War in Ukraine: How this might end

Ian Hill

There are many ways Putin’s invasion could pan out. All of them ultimately involve Ukraine accepting concessions.
23 Mar 2022
Trade

Australia's Trade

WTO

Australia
Trade policy agenda facing new drivers

Justin Brown

More than ever, Australia’s national security and economic resilience goals need integrating with smart trade policy.
22 Mar 2022
United States

Russia

Ukraine
Zelensky’s direct plea to America

Erin Hurley

For Congress to play an activist role in managing the US response to a hot war would break with modern precedent.
22 Mar 2022
United States

North Korea

South Korea
Waiting for North Korea to escalate

Martin Weiser

With Pyongyang ramping up its missile testing, it’s unclear whether they’re looking for a deal or a provocation.
22 Mar 2022
China

Russia

Technology

Ukraine
China’s women “hold up half the sky”

Xuyang Dong

Entrenched gender inequality and the heavy hand of censors can no longer silence female voices in China.
21 Mar 2022
Europe
As Hungary nears an election, Brussels and Moscow will be watching

Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo

Viktor Orbán looks likely to win re-election and continue posing problems for European policymakers.
21 Mar 2022
Defence & Security

United States

Russia

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Ukraine
The Gulf’s diversification dilemma

Rodger Shanahan

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine puts Saudi Arabia and the UAE in an awkward spot in relations with the United States.
21 Mar 2022
Defence & Security

United States

Asean

Australia

India

Japan
Does the Quad Plus add up?

Susannah Patton

The four-way security group should walk its talk about an inclusive region by stepping up dialogue with other countries.
18 Mar 2022
Russia

Ukraine
Scenarios for the war in Ukraine

Peter Layton

Unexpected resistance, disaffected troops and broken supply chains present a Catch-22 for Putin on the road to Kyiv.
18 Mar 2022
Australia

Russia

Antarctica

Ukraine
The end of Antarctic exceptionalism?

Elizabeth Buchanan

Plunging Russia into the diplomatic deep freeze has implications far beyond Europe on cooperation over global commons.
18 Mar 2022
Australian Defence Intelligence and Security
Australian defence: what the 1930s foretells for the present

James Cotton

A new volume on the country’s interwar foreign policy decisions takes us back to the future.
17 Mar 2022
Defence & Security

Australian Defence Force

Climate change

Environment
Defence’s bullet for disaster isn’t silver, it’s brass

Miranda Booth

Rushing in with troops in emergency response could make matters worse at home and muddle efforts to engage the region.
17 Mar 2022
Defence & Security

Australia
We need to stop talking about the grey zone

Ben Scott

And instead learn more about the many measures short of war.
17 Mar 2022
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste’s presidential election: Watching for generational change

Joao da Cruz Cardoso

The heroes of the independence movement still dominate the political scene, only the emotional ties are ageing.
17 Mar 2022
United States

Nuclear Weapons

Russia

Ukraine
Washington rediscovers “nuclear responsibility” in the Ukraine crisis

Benjamin Zala

Australian scholar Hedley Bull saw special obligations for great powers to avoid the worst possible catastrophe.
16 Mar 2022
War Crimes

Russia

International law

Ukraine
Russia is committing atrocity crimes in Ukraine, but not genocide

Dominique Fraser

More than legal semantics, properly recognising war crimes and crimes against humanity puts Russian leaders on notice.
16 Mar 2022
Australia in the World

Australian Diplomacy
Australian cricket’s soft power opportunity

Hugh Piper

A hat trick of factors calls for all-round success, and a recognition of bigger issues, including gender equality.