5 Feb 2025
Sir Julius Chan: PNG’s “last man standing”
Reflecting on a political life championing local development and courting international controversy.
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5 Feb 2025
Hong Kong: “One country, two systems” is breaking down, but not yet dead
Life in the city ranked “partly free”. -
4 Feb 2025
Trump tariffs – madness, method, or mayhem?
The more successful the strategy the lower the tariff revenue generated, and other economic realities… -
4 Feb 2025
DeepSeek diplomacy: Disruption, dominance and data
Another shift in the world as we know it. -
4 Feb 2025
Securing Southeast Asian waters: Formalising the role of the ASEAN Coast Guard Forum
Transparency, open communications, and a mutual understanding of shared maritime security challenges is the goal. -
4 Feb 2025
Trump and the global nuclear order
The impact of the President’s second term on the global nuclear order could be profoundly negative. -
3 Feb 2025
Trump’s second trade war risks unwinding the benefit of his first
Developing countries and global supply chain resilience will be damaged by Trump’s “softer on China harder on others” approach. -
3 Feb 2025
Strong leader preferred – Fiji’s coup legacy
Complete democratisation will remain a challenge for Fiji while former military officers continue to dominate politics. -
3 Feb 2025
The deadly consequences of disinformation in the Pacific
International partners, including Australia and India, are well placed to counter the scourge. -
3 Feb 2025
The revival of Bangladesh-Pakistan ties
Old enemies are becoming fast friends, and this has not gone unnoticed in the neighbourhood. -
31 Jan 2025
The practical effect of a constitutional ban on war
A declaration might be often dismissed as symbolic but can promote peace by shaping the perspective of the public and leaders. -
31 Jan 2025
Where geopolitics and development meet
“National interest” needn’t be a banned phrase, and acknowledgement can help make aid partnerships more honest. -
31 Jan 2025
Indonesia must reclaim its ASEAN leadership
Jakarta’s deft powers of shuttle diplomacy could revive a bloc that is increasingly at risk of becoming irrelevant. -
30 Jan 2025
Australia’s China strategy in an election year
It’s possible to trade and compete with China at the same time. -
30 Jan 2025
China versus America on global trade
China’s unbalanced global trading relationships have only deepened. -
30 Jan 2025
Trump’s trade policy: Risks for Australia
With tariff threats against both friend and foe, regional trade agreements will assume greater importance. -
29 Jan 2025
POW law and the plight of Australian Oscar Jenkins in Russia
The intentional killing of prisoners of war is a war crime that can be prosecuted under Australian law. -
29 Jan 2025
Myanmar's “failed junta” turns four
The regime is in deep trouble but it is best not to be too optimistic about an early resolution of the conflict. -
29 Jan 2025
How much of the world really backs Beijing’s claim to Taiwan?
The widespread adoption of Beijing’s stance might constrain US-led deterrence efforts and could provide the PRC with extra licence to escalate military aggression. -
28 Jan 2025
Abandoning the rules-based order is no solution
Competing narratives about the international order are being weaponised in an age of renewed territorial ambitions. -
28 Jan 2025
ASEAN’s new developmental divide
The admission of Timor-Leste will recall quarter-century-old unease about the development gap within the association. -
28 Jan 2025
Revitalising Australia’s out-of-date US alliance
Australia should have a treaty as strong as the NATO treaty. -
24 Jan 2025
How First Nations knowledge makes foreign policy stronger
Approaches to climate action, fisheries management, intellectual property, human rights, and cultural heritage repatriation is stronger for a First Nations’ perspective. -
24 Jan 2025
Military trends to watch in 2025
The year ahead will be at least as uncertain, violent and chaotic as 2024. Here are five key trends to watch in 2025. -
24 Jan 2025
Why shared governance could save our oceans
Meaningful conservation requires genuine restrictions, not symbolic protections. -
23 Jan 2025
Nice try, Apple, but Indonesia wants a restart
The tech giant’s US$1 billion investment won’t be enough to lift the ban in Indonesia. -
23 Jan 2025
What does the Trump presidency mean for Women, Peace and Security?
International peace and security requires due consideration of the world’s women. This is no radical social theory. -
23 Jan 2025
The population paradox in India
India is growing in some states, declining in others – but rapidly ageing all over. -
23 Jan 2025
The perils of recruiting a modern diplomat
Absent Hogwarts’ sorting hat, selection panels can do better. -
22 Jan 2025
A body blow to Putin’s “dirty fleet”
Europe is increasingly cracking down on Russia’s sanction-busting oil trade. -
22 Jan 2025
50 years later, are we any wiser? Australia’s search for regional security
Vietnam, PNG and Timor continue to shape Australia’s approach. -
22 Jan 2025
Central Asia should be West’s strategic focus
The crossroads of East and West are increasingly contested. -
21 Jan 2025
This time, Russia stands in the way of any US‑North Korea deal
If Donald Trump wants to revive his showpiece negotiation, he will find the calculation has since changed. -
21 Jan 2025
The UN Peacebuilding Commission: What’s in it for Australia?
Regional clout for one thing. -
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20 Jan 2025
Is DOGE the answer to improving productivity?
Putting fear into the bureaucracy is not a way to encourage better results. -
20 Jan 2025
Indonesia: The downstreaming dilemma
The nickel boom in Southeast Sulawesi is a paradox – reshaping the region while sidelining locals. -
20 Jan 2025
What would the founders of the US-led liberal international order think?
As Trump returns to power, international instability is the “new normal”. -
17 Jan 2025
The scorecard for Prabowo’s first 100 days? “Confused”
Prabowo is deeply invested in areas of his interest but the policies that fall outside are unlikely to get much of a look-in from the president. -
17 Jan 2025
Trump’s climate retreat will cost America influence in the Pacific
So much for the solemn declarations of “family”. -
17 Jan 2025
Why South Korea might go nuclear in Trump’s term
Trump’s transactional approach to alliance politics may close the door for more reassurances, pushing South Korea for a deterrence of its own. -
16 Jan 2025
A Big Tech race to the bottom is bad news for everyone
Tariffs might not be the only trade obstacle with Trump’s America. “Censorship” could be the next test. -
16 Jan 2025
Melting ice caps reveals the scourge of colonialism
Donald Trump shows no regard for the rights and autonomy of the Indigenous Inuit population who make up the majority of Greenland’s residents. -
16 Jan 2025
A looming police shortage in the Pacific: Drug use can cripple a male workforce
The labour and public health consequences from expanding drugs surge in the region must be acted upon. -
15 Jan 2025
Foreign policy challenges loom in Germany’s election
Immigration is the major battleground but with a war in Europe and political challenges across the Atlantic, the February poll has sharp consequences. -
15 Jan 2025
Meta power move is about more than fact checking
We can expect more pushback from US tech companies towards national governments – but will this also come with official US government support? -
15 Jan 2025
Can Malaysia drive ASEAN like the pony express?
Or does the regional grouping remain stuck in the stable? -
14 Jan 2025
Trump goes deep into the Panama Canal
But Panama, which is very proud of its operations, already has plans that would be in America’s interests. -
14 Jan 2025
The legal options for Trump to acquire Greenland
A Compact of Free Association akin to arrangements in the Pacific could be one answer, if Greenlanders agree. -
14 Jan 2025
The practical obstacles to Canada as the 51st state
Be serious for a moment – even if Donald Trump often doesn’t seem to be – and think through what stands in the way of an enlarged union.