Articles | Lowy Institute

31 Oct 2022
Australia

Bougainville

Papua New Guinea
Overcoming suspicion: reconciliation for Australia and Bougainville

Anthony Regan

The angry reaction to Richard Marles’ comments should be a warning to Canberra about the need to settle past grievances.
31 Oct 2022
Pacific Islands

China and the Pacific
China’s influence as a Pacific donor

Denghua Zhang

Beijing has taken steps to increase its influence in the island region at the same time as its aid levels decline.
30 Oct 2022
Aid & Development

Fiji
Where the buck stops: aid in Fiji

Mere Nailatikau

The development funding arena in the Pacific is a crowded space. But local actors are often forced to take back seat.
28 Oct 2022
The war in Ukraine: implications for Asia

Michael Wesley

Win, lose or draw in Russia’s bold attack, the Indo-Pacific may be the new frontier for autocracies to test their limits.
27 Oct 2022
Nuclear Weapons

United States
The remote Marshall Islands complicate US Pacific policy

JJ Rose

A sand-rimmed paradise with a long nuclear history has a surprising amount of clout in the Washington vs Beijing game.
27 Oct 2022
China
Even now, standing supreme, Xi has limits to his power

Thi Mai Anh Nguyen

The very loyalists that have facilitated Xi’s rise could yet provide a constraint to his ambition.
26 Oct 2022
Lebanon
A day at the (Beirut) races

Rodger Shanahan

Spring carnival it’s not, but even amid chaos, the competitive spirit can find an outlet.
26 Oct 2022
Papua New Guinea
PNG: Climate action, social change and a minister for coffee

Catherine Highet , Serah Sipani , Trudi Egi

A unique Arabica crop has the potential to improve women’s financial inclusion and climate change all at once.
25 Oct 2022
India

Australia

Defence & Security
Australia’s shared security in the Indian Ocean

Lisa Singh , Lewis Baker

As two littoral states with significant sway, Australia and India can act as a conduit to link regional groupings.
25 Oct 2022
Australia

Middle East Conflict
After West Jerusalem shift, will Labor also turn on Israel at the UN?

Dave Sharma

Far from advancing the cause of peace, the government risks separating Australia’s position from its closest friends.
25 Oct 2022
Australia

Middle East Conflict
Jerusalem, the rules-based order and deal-making

Ben Scott

Australia's interests – near and far – are best served by consistent support for an effective multilateral system.
25 Oct 2022
North Korea

South Korea
The Korean Peninsula still poses major risks

Gabriela Bernal

Escalating tensions and vicious cycles. We’ve heard this story before. That doesn’t make the situation less dangerous.
24 Oct 2022
China

Australia

Technology

United States
Where the chips fall: in containing China, the US can leave Australia out

James Laurenceson

Australia’s interest won’t be served by supporting US efforts to build a high fence around China’s technology industry.
24 Oct 2022
Australia in the World

Diplomacy

Multilateral Institutions
Australia’s road to Geneva

James Cotton

The League of Nations gave delegates from the antipodes a taste for progressive internationalism that remains today.
24 Oct 2022
Asia

United States
US midterms: How Republican wins (or losses) could shape Asia policy

John Kachtik

A form guide to the key races that will determine what role Republicans play in the US approach to regional challenges.
21 Oct 2022
China

Australia

Pacific Islands
Waiting for the thaw: the Pacific hopeful on Australia-China reset

Shailendra Bahadur Singh

The island countries stand to benefit from any improvement in relations between two big development partners.
20 Oct 2022
Australia

Australia and Asia

United States
Supporting democracy without fighting autocracies

Susannah Patton

A binary Australian foreign policy isn’t on the cards. Engagement is still the best way to support regional democracy.
20 Oct 2022
Global Economy

IMF

Multilateral Development Banks

Multilateral Institutions
Economic diplomacy: The IMF faces a US$ reality check

Greg Earl

The Bretton Woods institutions may face existential challenges from the decoupling of the United States and China.
20 Oct 2022
China
China: Xi, the Party, and the endless struggle

Jennifer Hsu

The latest national congress declares ambition for the people central to all reforms – with the Party’s guiding hand.
19 Oct 2022
United States
Competing and cooperating: the paradox in US strategy

Ben Scott

The new National Security Strategy at least acknowledges the shape of the problem even if not yet providing an answer.
19 Oct 2022
Russia

Ukraine
The banality of Putin’s evil

Robert Horvath

Putin is driven by the imperatives of regime security – preserving his kleptocratic rule – not national security.
18 Oct 2022
Aid & Development
Development finance – how much, done how?

John Eyers

Identifying institutional options for infrastructure finance in the Asia Pacific.
18 Oct 2022
India

Taiwan

Geo-economics
Will the three Ts tie India and Taiwan?

Melissa Conley Tyler

If New Delhi wants Taipei to help build supply chain security, it should expect Taiwan to ask for more political support.
17 Oct 2022
Global Issues
Under pressure: the present and future of international order

Richard Fontaine

The order fashioned for the 80 years since the Second World War has been far better than the 30 years before it.
17 Oct 2022
China

Russia

Ukraine
Could China save the world?

Mark Beeson

It is difficult to imagine Xi Jinping brokering peace in Ukraine, but if China wants to be respected, this is a chance.
14 Oct 2022
China

Environment

Sustainability
Can China build a “community” for shared oceans?

Cherry Hitkari

Amiable talk about safeguarding partners and protecting marine environment hasn’t allayed suspicions.
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.