18 Dec 2024
What I’ll be watching for in 2025
Lowy researchers gaze at their crystal balls – with questions, more than answers, for the year ahead.
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27 Nov 2024
The Pacific disinformation playbook
A surge in connectivity has exacerbated the region’s challenges, undermining trust in science and government. -
28 Oct 2024
China’s language diplomacy in Papua New Guinea
Local Mandarin programs are gaining momentum as a tool to foster closer relations. -
21 Oct 2024
PNG’s NRL bid: Making the most of the high-stakes game
Accountability is not just a question for donors but for the recipient country, too. -
15 Oct 2024
Three unanswered questions for Australia’s PNG Rugby League dream
Could Australian diplomacy enter novel terrain: professional sports administration? -
14 Oct 2024
How Australia can get better results in Papua New Guinea
A former prime minister offers a frank appraisal of the neighbourly relationship. -
20 Sep 2024
The days lost to PNG’s development and economy over votes of no confidence
Diminished parliamentary productivity has ramifications not only for the progress of legislation but the well-being of the nation. -
16 May 2024
Economic diplomacy: Budgeting for deglobalisation
Keeping up with the worldwide shift to industry policy is stretching boundaries of both economics and diplomacy. -
7 May 2024
PNG-China: What’s to gain in any policing deal?
It seems we’ll be hearing more about this prospective arrangement. -
2 May 2024
Bougainville’s future: The hard questions
There are good reasons to take time before Bougainville cuts loose from PNG. -
18 Apr 2024
It’s important to acknowledge PNG’s own interests with China
And a big part of that is bargaining power with the West. -
11 Apr 2024
Pacific Engagement Visas: New developments but quotas unknown
Australia’s highly competitive new visa lottery has much leg work to do to make fair allocations between countries. -
10 Apr 2024
Solomon Islands: Democracy on the ballot
Next week, voters will determine not only political leadership but the future of democratic processes. -
15 Mar 2024
A “climate defence force” for the Pacific
By harnessing human, environmental and resource security, Canberra can counter Beijing’s coercive tactics in the region. -
8 Mar 2024
State of play for Pacific women in 2024
When the playing field is levelled, the dividends are doubled, both in politics and sport. -
23 Feb 2024
Geopolitics, but what of other Pacific players?
Politics is a missing element of a new Lowy Institute assessment. -
15 Feb 2024
The state of play in PNG: A momentous start to 2024
Domestic deals and political spills threaten to overshadow economic progress in the land of the unexpected. -
7 Feb 2024
Whose security is really at stake? Gender must be prioritised in Australia‑PNG security agreement
More police can’t be the answer when police have long been part of the problem. -
7 Feb 2024
China’s message problem in PNG
Local doubts about mining projects appear at odds with government enthusiasm. -
25 Jan 2024
Practical steps to alleviate Papua New Guinea’s unemployment crisis
A good start is workable systems to ensure paperwork can be completed in a timely fashion. -
19 Jan 2024
Beyond the try line: What PNG’s NRL team means for development
The plan is to spend big – but is this the right field? -
29 Dec 2023
Keeping languages alive in the family
How many Australians can speak one of Papua New Guinea’s many Indigenous languages – even those who work there? -
22 Dec 2023
Why did PNG sign a Defence Cooperation Agreement with the US?
For Port Moresby, this deal is mainly about modernising PNG’s Defence Force – not a geopolitical ploy. -
19 Dec 2023
Australia–PNG security agreement: A revamp for Pacific partnerships
A technical perspective into the intended operation of the bilateral security deal between the close neighbours. -
27 Nov 2023
Papua New Guinea: Learning the lessons of language
Preserving PNG’s linguistic kaleidoscope is as much a connection with the past as a path to the future. -
23 Nov 2023
Digital dominoes: Australia’s strategic play in the Pacific
Enhancing the region’s digital connectivity goes beyond influence. It’s about sharing prosperity and security, too. -
1 Nov 2023
Loans, not grants, already proving costly for PNG
The latest Pacific Aid Map shows the PNG debt burden is growing and risks loom on the horizon. -
29 Sep 2023
Japan risks its reputation in Oceania with Fukushima discharge
A rollcall of Pacific Island nations have very different views on the release of treated radioactive wastewater. -
22 Sep 2023
The US–Pacific Islands Partnership, one year on
Recognising that it cannot go it alone, Washington needs to coordinate its development efforts with like-minded partners. -
21 Aug 2023
Putting a PNG stamp on security
As world players jostle for influence, the price of admission may be stronger economic engagement. -
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. -
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. -
5 Jul 2023
The downsides for Australia from the US‑PNG defence agreement
Sovereignty concerns about the American deal will create additional hurdles for Australia-PNG Defence Treaty currently under negotiation. -
29 Jun 2023
Bougainville – What’s next?
The 2019 referendum saw an overwhelming vote for independence, but the outcome is still unclear. -
8 Jun 2023
PNG’s trade ties with China are set to strengthen
Canberra has committed to bolstering agriculture assistance, but free trade agreements may leave Australia in second place. -
17 May 2023
Biden’s trip cancellations reveal pitfalls of a crowded diplomatic calendar
Bailing on Australia and PNG highlights the growing risk of disappointment when leaders are clambering to summits here, there, everywhere. -
18 Apr 2023
Not the Indo-Pacific: a Melanesian view on strategic competition
The states of the southwest Pacific are not interested in a zero-sum contest between the United States and China. -
23 Mar 2023
Papua New Guinea: media under threat
A new draft government policy is set to put journalistic freedoms to the test. -
7 Mar 2023
PNG voices: regional partnerships must be based on respect
Righting perceptions of an asymmetric relationship between PNG and Australia comes down to listening. -
1 Mar 2023
Reflections on the 29th Australia-Papua New Guinea Ministerial Forum
More action led outputs needed. -
27 Feb 2023
Answers needed on the Pacific Engagement Visa
Beyond practicalities, it’s unclear whether this is a genuine “Pacific family” partnership or geopolitical convenience? -
20 Feb 2023
Papua New Guinea: Reining in MP slush funds
Allowing individual MPs to decide where money should be spent – and who should be rewarded – comes at too high a price. -
30 Jan 2023
For PNG, Albanese’s visit was about more than just security
Dealing with Australia and keeping a door open to China gives James Marape the chance to foster the local economy. -
25 Jan 2023
Chinese aid to the Pacific: decreasing, but not disappearing
With fewer Chinese finances available and less demand from Pacific countries, geopolitical competition is opening up. -
13 Jan 2023
PNG needs a census, not more population estimates
Knowing a true number of residents is crucial to set development goals – for local government and foreign partners. -
21 Dec 2022
Seeking independence: three books to read this summer
From Timorese history and Bougainville’s dreams to Australia’s regional stories, catch up on essential background. -
9 Dec 2022
MP slush funds used to maintain power in PNG
The more cash, the more chance of an incumbent ruling party’s success at elections. -
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. -
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. -
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.