14 Dec 2023
Australia needs an open-source intelligence agency
Done right, this reform could also disrupt the culture of excessive secrecy.
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11 Dec 2023
The Beijing blowback should Australia get closer to Taiwan
Bilateral initiatives are not the only way for Australia to bolster Taiwan and signal its support. -
5 Dec 2023
Indonesia ratifies nuclear weapons ban treaty. Australia should too.
Why does the government remain at odds with the vast majority of its neighbours? -
5 Dec 2023
“Egregious stupidity”: The story of when Australia split with Kissinger over South Asia
On Kissinger’s final report card, his handling of India, Pakistan and the emergence of Bangladesh scores badly. -
4 Dec 2023
How to stop any repeat of the Australia-China sonar incident
A regional deal to close a loophole relating to the use of sonar in international law could be a good place to start. -
1 Dec 2023
Ignoring those forgotten
There is more shared history between China and Australia than many realise. -
29 Nov 2023
Southeast Asia's minerals: Opportunity knocks
Australia should make better use of its regional leadership in minerals technology, skills and governance. -
23 Nov 2023
A delicate dance: latest India allegations test the rules
How far can “strategic trust” be stretched? -
23 Nov 2023
Economic diplomacy: Hits and misses for Project Diversify
India and Vietnam are the rising new trade partners as business cools on China amid new American protectionism. -
22 Nov 2023
Does Australia’s walk match its talk about helping Pacific women advance?
Big dollars are one thing, meaningful outcomes another. -
21 Nov 2023
Australia and space: A step together for the whole nation
A national space policy is needed to ensure Australia consistently engages across government, industry and global partners alike. -
20 Nov 2023
Sonar reports much more than a blip in Australia’s relations with China
The latest incident, the first to injure Australian military personnel, appears to signal China’s willingness to test the red line. -
20 Nov 2023
What roles should sport play in Australia’s image and diplomacy?
The government has dropped the ball in the strategic opportunity presented by sports. -
20 Nov 2023
Pacific Aid Map: Big data gaps are skewing the story about women
Better reporting is needed to properly understand which projects are targeting gender issues in the region. -
18 Nov 2023
China’s sonar pulse poses another test of Australia’s will
Even with international law on its side, Australia is still grappling with the conundrum of whether might makes right. -
17 Nov 2023
Australian development cooperation: Urgent and important, but “not a priority”
Development policy contradictions reveal the failure of the DFAT-AusAID integration. -
16 Nov 2023
Albanese is right to reject fossil fuel phaseouts
The politics of climate change has to be paired with grasping the economics, too. -
15 Nov 2023
The foreign policy case for the PM to spend more time at home
Instead of tall poppy syndrome, ask about effectiveness. -
15 Nov 2023
How China’s media reported Albanese’s visit
Some messages appear subtle – others, expectedly blunt. -
15 Nov 2023
The Bletchley Park artificial intelligence summit: Good optics, less substance
A jumbled collection of commonplace platitudes does not a remarkable outcome make. -
14 Nov 2023
A Pacific union: Australia-Tuvalu deal goes well beyond climate
This tailored arrangement has implications for AUKUS, legal proceedings, as well as the potential resettlement of climate refugees. -
14 Nov 2023
Australia needs to resource a merchant fleet
Virtually all Australia’s trade moves by sea, yet relies almost exclusively on foreign flagged and foreign owned vessels. -
13 Nov 2023
What can – and should – we expect from Australia’s new cyber security strategy?
International alignment and coordination will be key to countering cyber threats that have no respect for land borders. -
10 Nov 2023
The Coalition risks the general’s lament, of fighting the last war over China policy
Labor was right to suspend the WTO case against Beijing and should not be gulled into a confrontational stance. -
10 Nov 2023
Where did the Afghan refugees go – and where next?
While the world is still figuring out the politics, the people are paying the price. -
10 Nov 2023
China-Australia: Smartening up people-to-people links
Universities play an essential role in everyday diplomacy, fostering a genuine affection between the two countries. -
9 Nov 2023
Economic diplomacy: Labor’s green security state rises
From Chinese wind turbines to temporary foreign workers, Australia faces difficult intersections between domestic and foreign policy. -
8 Nov 2023
Haunted by a plague
Almost four years since the advent of Covid-19, the world still awaits answers on how the most devastating pandemic in 100 years first began. -
7 Nov 2023
Learning the right lessons from Australia’s Covid response
The pandemic measures that took us from lucky country to locked-up country have their roots in 1980s neoliberalism. -
3 Nov 2023
Mineral futures: A critical step for Albanese’s Beijing trip
Trade in rare earth elements and numerous minerals is essential for the energy transition – but can Australia and China find complementary ground? -
31 Oct 2023
Outward bound: We should celebrate Australian investment overseas
Undervaluing what business achieves internationally as if somehow having a cost at home makes for bad policy. -
31 Oct 2023
Pacific aid enters a new era
The latest Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map demonstrates that there is no going back to the way things were. -
30 Oct 2023
Dashed hopes for Australia, Europe still has blind spots on trade
The collapse of FTA negotiations illustrates that protectionist sentiment is still powerful in the bloc. -
30 Oct 2023
Instead of worrying about Trump, see the benefits of Biden
The opportunity now is to grow the understanding in Washington of the value provided by the US-Australia alliance. -
25 Oct 2023
AUKUS as Big Science?
With all the focus on nuclear-powered submarines, are we missing a chance to achieve something truly transformative? -
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23 Oct 2023
A sign of the times: the resurgence of pacts, treaties, and alliances
Once dismissed as a “scrap of paper”, the vogue for written pledges has returned. -
20 Oct 2023
Can UNESCO save the Great Barrier Reef?
Climate change is a problem that confounds the original World Heritage model. -
16 Oct 2023
Australia’s next challenge for Indigenous foreign policy
The defeat of the Voice referendum may be a chance to tell a broader story about the challenges facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. -
13 Oct 2023
Imagining Trump’s second term
Could Canada cope? Might Australia? Two books on the “vice in the chest and tightness in the stomach” prospect. -
13 Oct 2023
Australia must act fast on joint patrols with the Philippines
Australia “recommitted” two months ago. The Philippines is waiting, China is watching – and so is the region. -
12 Oct 2023
How can Australia get its commitments to reduce carbon emissions back on track?
Economic diplomacy: Putting energy into the post-Voice political vacuum by smoothing Australia’s relations is a start. -
12 Oct 2023
Voting “Yes” in the heart of empire
If the ballot queue in London were any guide, the Voice would win hands down. -
10 Oct 2023
The Voice: Towards a fuller expression of nationhood
Long after the referendum, the result will echo in Australia’s national conscience. -
6 Oct 2023
How Australia features in Trump’s crosshairs
Another Trumpian persecution again has an alliance partner connection. -
6 Oct 2023
Power of Siberia 2: Moving beyond a pipe dream?
Australia would be wise to diversify its gas exports now before Russia’s pivot to Asia takes hold. -
5 Oct 2023
AI will shape our world – even our brains – but it can be regulated
There is no shortage of ideas. The challenge is bringing them all together for policymakers and the public to understand. -
4 Oct 2023
The Fix: Solid rock, fatal bites
Your weekly Interpreter feature to rake up resources and reads you might otherwise miss. -
4 Oct 2023
Glitch in the code: Google, Meta, and the fight over news in Canada and Australia
The battle between tech giants and local regulations still carries an international flavour. -
3 Oct 2023
Five reasons why the government mustn’t cool its heels on an “Australian IRA”
What cause could be more important than the economic, energy, and environmental security of the nation and the future of the planet?