Never forget the light-hearted moments. Like that time one of Australia’s most accomplished international law experts, Professor Donald R Rothwell, wrote about the blockbuster movie Barbie after Vietnam banned the film for featuring an exaggerated cartoon map of the South China Sea. High politics does indeed find expression in pop culture – Rothwell’s article ranked inside the Top 10 most-read articles for 2023. The full list is below.
The Interpreter gained an average readership of more than 200,000 each month across the past year, reaching an audience across Asia, the Pacific, North America, and Europe. Analysis examining the conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and Myanmar drew significant interest, as did debates spurred by a new nationalism in the global economy and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence. Hugh Piper proved prescient on Australia’s “Voice” debates.
Our new weekly feature “The Fix” proved popular with recommendations for issues, resources and helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed. And fresh contributions from award-winning New York writer Stéphanie Fillion boosted our analysis of United Nations debates, while Marina Yue Zhang gave valuable insights into the growing geopolitical competition for rare earth metals.
We also farewelled a dear friend and inaugural Lowy Institute Executive Director Allan Gyngell, appropriately described as “the finest mind in Australian foreign policy”.
We’re having an end-of-year break, packing up from today. Normal publishing will resume on 15 January. All the best for the season!
Top 10 most-read Interpreter articles of 2023
- India pushes China to the margins of the G20 – by Ian Hall
- It might be plastic fantastic, but Barbie lends cartoonish credibility to China’s nine-dash line – by Donald R Rothwell
- Indonesia: The high cost of high-speed rail – by Neta Cynara Anggina
- Cash is king, no more – by Hilman Palaon
- Could Indonesia legally stop transit by nuclear-powered AUKUS subs? – by Dita Liliansa
- How Russia loses allies amid the war in Ukraine – by Nikola Mikovic
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: Why and why now? – by Ian Hill
- Myanmar: The last days of the junta? – by Rahman Yaacob
- De-dollarisation: Shifting power between the US and BRICS – by Michael Roach
