1 Dec 2022
Economic diplomacy: Scoring goals outside the stadium
Shifting geopolitics and economics make picking the diplomatic champion from the Qatar World Cup more challenging.
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1 Dec 2022
Anwar’s victory not the only Malaysian shockwave
A dramatic rise in the Islamist vote in the Muslim-majority country is the biggest outcome of the election. -
30 Nov 2022
Supporting the kind of region we want
In tougher strategic times, ASEAN stands as a crucial forum to ensure competition doesn’t tip into confrontation. -
30 Nov 2022
Australia–India: “Hands Across the Water”
Naval port visits send important signals and contribute to the thriving bilateral relationship. -
29 Nov 2022
Iran: Deep state, shallow protests
In a case of better the devil you know, potential for the country’s current unrest to be regime-changing is low. -
29 Nov 2022
Getting the narrative right: China’s media reach in Indonesia
Beijing is weaving its story into hearts and minds in the region via influence campaigns that could impact democracy. -
28 Nov 2022
Redemption complete? Australia’s image and the end of “sandpaper gate”
The only truly national sport is bound to local identity – but believing in exceptionalism is a dangerous game. -
28 Nov 2022
Confident, competent, inconsistent: Australia’s strategic personality
Canberra’s report card receives a solid “pleasing result” on Southeast Asia, but a “could do better” on the Pacific. -
25 Nov 2022
Riots serve an unexpected lesson in the Pacific
A new report on civil unrest in the region calls for a longer and wider lens in analysing reasons and rationales. -
25 Nov 2022
Fruits of labour: Guatemala’s 30 minutes with the PM
With farmers in Australia crying out for more workers, some outside-the-box thinking could help. -
24 Nov 2022
Defence and development reviews: bringing parallel tracks together
A cultural change in the way Australia’s approach to the world is formulated and prosecuted. -
24 Nov 2022
Worth a thousand words: what Kim Jong‑un’s daughter photo tells
The leader’s strategy is long-term, both for the continued rule of North Korea and its nuclear ambition. -
23 Nov 2022
Papua New Guinea: lessons of the last decade in four charts
Translating economic semantics into higher incomes, better living standards and good governance is the next step. -
22 Nov 2022
India’s military: a tech leap risks a nuclear chasm
India’s conventional military modernisation means grappling with the accelerated danger of nuclear miscalculation. -
22 Nov 2022
The militarisation of motherhood: repatriating ISIS’s Western women
A “victim” versus “fighter” dichotomy must be overcome to understand the strategic role envisioned for women. -
22 Nov 2022
Europe must fully embrace nuclear energy
With Russia’s stranglehold on the region’s energy, it is time to add a second shade of green. -
21 Nov 2022
Ukraine: No end in sight
A ceasefire proposal would likely be rejected as a Russian ploy, yet with winter closing, neither side can expect let up. -
21 Nov 2022
Will the new US Congress still pay for its Pacific promises?
The Biden administration has staked $810 million on a regional strategy and now must ensure bipartisan support. -
18 Nov 2022
Strengthening disaster resilience in the Pacific
The aftermath of Tonga’s massive volcanic eruption holds valuable lessons as climate change risks also grow. -
17 Nov 2022
Putting a stop to destructive anti-satellite weapons tests
Australia is helping bolster an emerging global norm that will secure space for the benefit of all. -
17 Nov 2022
Economic diplomacy: Charging up old ties with Jakarta
Australia has stepped up a trade diversification push despite the first moves towards reconciliation with China. -
17 Nov 2022
The city that throbs with fury
Six weeks on from a shocking stadium disaster, mourning signs in Malang tell an angry message for Indonesian politics. -
16 Nov 2022
“Big differences to manage”: Albanese and Xi put a value on diplomacy
The government can say Australia didn’t have to give up interests or values to restart dialogue. -
15 Nov 2022
Malaysian Chinese community to shape national poll
Electoral mathematics means politicians are faced with a choice between communal politics and multiculturalism. -
15 Nov 2022
Putting food at the heart of China-Indonesia relations
Beijing sees Indonesia as a major contributor to its food security and this has found receptive ears in Jakarta. -
15 Nov 2022
Refugees may become victims of Malaysia’s electoral politics
The plight of Myanmar Rohingyas exposes Southeast Asia’s disjointed policies and fragile human rights protections. -
14 Nov 2022
The race for lithium
Global energy transition relies on a resource that Australia holds in abundance. But supply chains and policy are key. -
11 Nov 2022
North Korea: unpredictably predictable
The rationale behind Pyongyang’s provocative missile launches may not be as menacing as it appears. -
10 Nov 2022
In defence of Indian women celebrities
How a country is presented globally – and by whom – carries an enduring cultural and political influence. -
10 Nov 2022
Nationalist propaganda at a screen near you
Recent cinematic offerings from the United States, China and India are straight out of the central casting handbook. -
10 Nov 2022
Battle for Chagos
A dispute over sovereignty in the Indian Ocean tracks Britain’s dwindling empire and the path of international law. -
9 Nov 2022
An explanation for the decline of China’s aid in the Pacific
A drop in Chinese funding may be a sign of belt tightening in an effort to tackle Beijing’s own domestic debt problem. -
9 Nov 2022
Countdown to Asia’s summit season
Conflict in Myanmar and Ukraine against a backdrop of US‑China tension – a crowded agenda will unfold in coming weeks. -
9 Nov 2022
Climate change: governance on the highway to hell
If wealthy states can’t agree on compensating the world’s most environmentally ravaged, things are looking grim. -
8 Nov 2022
How China, India and Bangladesh could be drawn into Myanmar’s conflict
Rakhine state has become a de facto battleground for the competing interests of Beijing, Delhi and Dhaka. -
8 Nov 2022
COP out: Should Albanese be in Egypt? And what about APEC? G20? EAS?
The demands on leaders in global diplomacy have only grown but that hasn’t made negotiations more meaningful. -
7 Nov 2022
Australia and B‑21 bombers: less bang for the buck
It’s an expensive habit to think about the military not as a practical tool but as a symbol of strategic intent. -
7 Nov 2022
Party politics in Papua New Guinea
While the machinations might appear incomprehensible, some trends can be detected in PNG’s complicated party system. -
4 Nov 2022
Solutions to the North Korea issue no longer include denuclearisation
A minimalist approach based on arms control, risk reduction and deterrence is what’s needed right now on the Peninsula. -
4 Nov 2022
The real message B‑52s send from northern Australia
Given distances and demands on crew and aircraft, a US bomber fleet near Darwin amounts to only modest change. -
3 Nov 2022
Make or break: Scholz’ Beijing business
What happens in Europe won’t stay in Europe. Rifts on China risk common understanding with partners, Australia included. -
3 Nov 2022
Ashmore Reef resurfaces as a maritime headache
A loose arrangement between Australia and Indonesia over the uninhabited islands is set to become a little less loose. -
3 Nov 2022
Economic diplomacy: Searching for APEC
APEC faces some new competition as Australia considers the sovereign risks involved in reducing domestic gas prices. -
3 Nov 2022
Risks and responses repatriating foreign terrorist fighters and families
Australia is bringing home families that lived under Islamic State, and experience overseas offers valuable lessons. -
2 Nov 2022
Where does Australia’s new aid budget leave gender equality?
Gender equality is not just an “add-on”, it is essential to a functioning society. Funding must reflect that. -
2 Nov 2022
B-52 bombers only part of a very long Australian story
A revamp of RAAF Tindal for the nuclear-capable aircraft creates opportunities well beyond military confidence building. -
2 Nov 2022
Australia must help turn back a regional democratic retreat
With only half the Indo-Pacific a democracy, a collective approach is needed to bolster critical institutions. -
2 Nov 2022
Can the UK stop the boats?
Attempting to mimic the Australian model ignores the striking differences that confront post-Brexit Britain. -
31 Oct 2022
From Jakarta to Nusantara: making sense of Indonesia’s capital shift
Beyond escaping floods and crowds, the location of the new capital will have economic and geopolitical ramifications. -
31 Oct 2022
By the numbers: Papua New Guinea and development funding
Australian funding to its Pacific neighbour outstripped the region’s major partners by four to one during the pandemic.