22 Aug 2023
India’s hesitation as China pushes for BRICS expansion
New Delhi and Beijing have competing visions for adding new members and where the organisation will focus.
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22 Aug 2023
Cambodia's democracy deficit: Australia's role and responsibility
Have we done enough to support human and democratic rights in a country where they are perpetually under attack? -
22 Aug 2023
Remember the Rohingya, for disease hasn’t forgotten them
After six years, supposedly temporary camps now resemble slums. How long can the world turn away? -
21 Aug 2023
Putting a PNG stamp on security
As world players jostle for influence, the price of admission may be stronger economic engagement. -
21 Aug 2023
India doubles down on regional connectivity to counter China
New Delhi has big advantages in its South Asia infrastructure push – even if outspending China isn’t one of them. -
21 Aug 2023
Loss and damage: Thoughts on global climate fund reform
At COP28, an opportunity presents itself for a new funding model to help the world’s most climate vulnerable countries. -
18 Aug 2023
The “Jokowi Doctrine”: Indonesia’s vision for international order
Increasingly active on the world stage, the President will leave a imprint on foreign policy that is likely to endure. -
18 Aug 2023
China’s slowdown is nothing to celebrate
The heady rates of economic growth were always going to fall – but is boom time over for commodities? -
18 Aug 2023
Stepping on the gas: Boosting Australia’s climate diplomacy in the region
Opponents of carbon capture plans need to look past ideology and think about the development costs to friends and neighbours. -
17 Aug 2023
Economic diplomacy: Slicing up a new aid menu
Australia is persisting with a homemade mix of old and new financing tools to be the development dining partner of choice in the region. -
17 Aug 2023
Bridging the divide: the significance of the US-South Korea-Japan trilateral
The Biden administration sees the upcoming summit as historic – China and North Korea may also, for different reasons. -
17 Aug 2023
The Baltic response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
A history of atrocities at the hands of Moscow steels the resolve of its neighbouring states. -
16 Aug 2023
Can the Matildas waltz onto the world stage for Australia’s sport diplomacy?
Sporting ambassadors have previously helped with big international investments. Let’s go again. -
16 Aug 2023
The Fix: We still really don’t know PNG
Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources or helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed. -
16 Aug 2023
The myth of military desperation in Myanmar
The junta’s favoured methods of arson and airstrikes continue to quash dissent, with no end in sight. -
15 Aug 2023
Vanuatu: No confidence, but in whom?
Australian diplomacy must be examined after a supposed security deal leaves the local government teetering. -
15 Aug 2023
Don’t conflate the Quad and Malabar
As Indo-Pacific defence postures pivot to the maritime, there’s no need to muddy the waters between hard and soft power. -
15 Aug 2023
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
An old idea for a regional network might hold the answer for energy demand into the future. -
15 Aug 2023
The climate crisis demands sovereign debt justice
Why should low-income countries pay the price for climate change? -
14 Aug 2023
The Moon: The great game on new turf
India joins a powerplay with the United States, China and Russia in the hunt for lunar treasure and strategic superiority. -
14 Aug 2023
Thailand’s monarchy: Heirs and spares
A surprise visit to Thailand by two of King Vajiralongkorn’s sons after an absence of 27 years shows dynastical survival trumps personal animosity. -
14 Aug 2023
What does the new International Development Policy mean for the Pacific?
Australia has outlined its case for being the preferred regional partner, but the Pacific needs less talk and more action. -
11 Aug 2023
Learning Cold War lessons of espionage anew
The ever-present threat of spies can lead to the greater danger – ourselves. -
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11 Aug 2023
The constrained ambition of Australia’s new development policy
Aid “rebuild” focuses on quality and smarter geopolitics, but not dollars. -
10 Aug 2023
Fake news, propaganda, and the withering of commitment to truth
Joseph Stalin’s denial of access for Western journalists during the Second World War heralded the birth of disinformation. -
10 Aug 2023
Young voices on Fiji’s new political era
Six months after a democratic transformation, a new government strides ahead – with the biggest hurdles still to come. -
10 Aug 2023
Are Western intelligence agencies “fuelling an armed rebellion” in Myanmar?
Espionage by its nature is difficult to prove – big claims should be judged carefully before leaping to conclusions. -
9 Aug 2023
Overseas Filipino workers toil for the Marcos government’s bottom line
The Philippines relies on remittances to prop up the local economy. But the reports of abuses cannot be ignored. -
9 Aug 2023
The Fix: Tray tables up, window blinds open
Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources or helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed. -
9 Aug 2023
Iran’s lithium lode: A potential strategic game-changer
Australia might find itself on a political and economic tightrope as China looks to diversify its options for the new oil of our times. -
8 Aug 2023
International development: Putting the heart back in Australian foreign policy
The government has taken a big step after listening to regional partners – now it has a chance to fill in the details. -
8 Aug 2023
Sri Lanka’s deep debt bind
Imposing losses on domestic creditors essentially imposes losses on the country itself. -
8 Aug 2023
Shadows of the state: How Wagner Group extends Russian reach in Africa
The mercenary operations sit at the heart of a complex web of geopolitical ambitions, covert operations, and influence peddling. -
7 Aug 2023
For America’s atomic bomb legacy, the past is present
The fallout of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – as well as nuclear testing in the Pacific – continues to hang over the US regional reputation. -
7 Aug 2023
Why the F word matters if we’re serious about gender equality in foreign policy
The problem with an implied rather than explicit feminist approach is that it is all too easy to ignore. -
7 Aug 2023
Why universities are still at risk for foreign interference
Australian universities are vulnerable as open and collaborative institutions. With more sensitive research underway, they are also part of the solution. -
4 Aug 2023
Women belong everywhere and this World Cup proves football can be the great equaliser
Respect for female athletes “tearing it up on the pitch” must translate into respect off the field, too. -
4 Aug 2023
What four upcoming elections in South Asia mean for Australia
With significant strategic equities at play, Canberra will need more regional engagement than ever before. -
4 Aug 2023
Archipelago angst: How Indonesia and the US differ on air routes over sea lanes
UNCLOS ambiguity, again. -
3 Aug 2023
Economic diplomacy: Hard labour managing geo-economic fragmentation
Australia faces tough choices from aid to energy in a new world of government intervention in trade and industry. -
3 Aug 2023
De-dollarisation: shifting power between the US and BRICS
Will a new global reserve currency threaten the greenback's supremacy? The short answer is yes. -
3 Aug 2023
The vanishing options for Julian Assange
Extradition for the WikiLeaks founder to the United States looks likely unless Anthony Albanese can persuade Joe Biden otherwise. -
2 Aug 2023
Moscow, we have a problem
Once useful mouthpieces, Russian military bloggers reporting from the front lines in Ukraine are now making the Kremlin nervous. -
2 Aug 2023
The Fix: Long road to inspiration
An Interpreter feature about issues, resources or helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed. -
2 Aug 2023
Can PNG afford more debt?
Betting on the potential of future resource wealth has proved a risky strategy. History holds valuable economic lessons. -
1 Aug 2023
In a meaningless gesture, Myanmar’s junta cuts Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence
The leaders of the deposed democratic government shouldn’t be in jail at all. -
1 Aug 2023
China’s big gamble in Pakistan: A 10-year scorecard for CPEC
The monster project for the Belt and Road Initiative has a deeply troubled beginning. -
1 Aug 2023
Friedrich Merz and the fall of the “Berlin firewall”
To remain mainstream, Germany’s centre-right has employed all manner of tactics. Will it resort to cooperation with the populist far-right? -
1 Aug 2023
Something fishy about China’s anger over the Quad’s open ocean plans
Even illegal fishing is politicised amid growing China-US tensions.