2 Feb 2023
Economic diplomacy: Diversification is hard to do
Treasurer Jim Chalmers should rise above outdated jibes at the IMF to justify his aims for a new values-based economy.
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2 Feb 2023
France-Australia: Salving the wounds of AUKUS
After the crisis over the subs deal, both countries stand to benefit from a normalisation of ties. -
1 Feb 2023
Australia’s Myanmar sanctions: now for the real decisions
Two years after the coup, there are still many reasons why Canberra is stepping cautiously with its punitive measures. -
1 Feb 2023
Marles torpedoes French subs, but is yet to explain nuclear advantage
For such a high-stakes and expensive enterprise the public deserves to know not just what boats we’re getting, but why. -
23 Jan 2023
How will China’s punitive trade restrictions against Australia end?
Good vibes could turn into a solution – but if China demands a quid pro quo, reaching agreement will be complex. -
20 Jan 2023
How an Australian freed an unfinished nation’s history
The fascinating story of how Indonesia came to better know itself through a time of repressive regimes. -
18 Jan 2023
Link start-ups ecosystems to build influence in Southeast Asia
Australia should launch a major initiative to support investment with new business prospects in the region. -
17 Jan 2023
Australia should have more public holidays – but make them civic and secular
Allowing people to choose their own days of significance would better reflect our modern national identity. -
16 Jan 2023
Towards meaningful Quad cooperation on intelligence
Collaborative AI capabilities would allow the partners to deepen military cooperation, should leaders choose that step. -
13 Jan 2023
Undue suspicion of Chinese Australian scientists slows progress
Clear guidance is needed how national security is assessed in research and what are the boundaries of collaboration. -
12 Jan 2023
Our public holidays should reflect Australia’s multicultural make-up
Many countries in the region already have more public holidays to recognise diverse cultural and religious populations. -
5 Jan 2023
Australia’s mainstream media neglected Asia’s Covid stories
A heavy focus on how the US and UK struggled with the pandemic further removed Australians from their neighbourhood. -
28 Dec 2022
How to Interpret 2022: Australians change government
What our columnists and contributors made of the protagonists and power plays during this year’s federal election. -
27 Dec 2022
How to Interpret 2022: Solomon Islands strikes a deal
Honiara’s foreign policy caused ripples across the region, as we round up highlights of the year from The Interpreter. -
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. -
19 Dec 2022
A focused direction for the Quad
Doubling-down on existing initiatives – rather than new goals – will see the grouping deliver tangible public goods. -
16 Dec 2022
Beyond binary choices in Australia China relations
Trade partner or security threat? Might we escape the trap of over securitisation with more diversity in leadership? -
15 Dec 2022
Economic diplomacy: From pollie crises to polycrisis
There are political bunfights, strategic challenges and wicked problems, but let’s not “overcrisify” the world. -
14 Dec 2022
It’s complicated: psychology and national security decisions
Thinking about the plethora of security threats all at once is hard – which can increase the risk of bias intruding. -
9 Dec 2022
US-Australia alliance: beyond sentiment
Of supporters or sceptics alike, new research shows most Australians view the alliance via a cost-benefit analysis. -
8 Dec 2022
AUSMIN: the submarine conundrum
It’s a big challenge to manage the ambition for nuclear-powered subs and still juggle other crucial defence decisions. -
2 Dec 2022
Australia wants to attract the world’s best? Make it easier to migrate
An overdue review can start fixing national skills shortages by smoothing the way for workers and families to settle. -
1 Dec 2022
Economic diplomacy: Scoring goals outside the stadium
Shifting geopolitics and economics make picking the diplomatic champion from the Qatar World Cup more challenging. -
30 Nov 2022
Supporting the kind of region we want
In tougher strategic times, ASEAN stands as a crucial forum to ensure competition doesn’t tip into confrontation. -
30 Nov 2022
Australia–India: “Hands Across the Water”
Naval port visits send important signals and contribute to the thriving bilateral relationship. -
28 Nov 2022
Confident, competent, inconsistent: Australia’s strategic personality
Canberra’s report card receives a solid “pleasing result” on Southeast Asia, but a “could do better” on the Pacific. -
25 Nov 2022
Fruits of labour: Guatemala’s 30 minutes with the PM
With farmers in Australia crying out for more workers, some outside-the-box thinking could help. -
24 Nov 2022
Defence and development reviews: bringing parallel tracks together
A cultural change in the way Australia’s approach to the world is formulated and prosecuted. -
17 Nov 2022
Economic diplomacy: Charging up old ties with Jakarta
Australia has stepped up a trade diversification push despite the first moves towards reconciliation with China. -
16 Nov 2022
“Big differences to manage”: Albanese and Xi put a value on diplomacy
The government can say Australia didn’t have to give up interests or values to restart dialogue. -
8 Nov 2022
COP out: Should Albanese be in Egypt? And what about APEC? G20? EAS?
The demands on leaders in global diplomacy have only grown but that hasn’t made negotiations more meaningful. -
7 Nov 2022
Australia and B‑21 bombers: less bang for the buck
It’s an expensive habit to think about the military not as a practical tool but as a symbol of strategic intent. -
4 Nov 2022
The real message B‑52s send from northern Australia
Given distances and demands on crew and aircraft, a US bomber fleet near Darwin amounts to only modest change. -
3 Nov 2022
Ashmore Reef resurfaces as a maritime headache
A loose arrangement between Australia and Indonesia over the uninhabited islands is set to become a little less loose. -
3 Nov 2022
Economic diplomacy: Searching for APEC
APEC faces some new competition as Australia considers the sovereign risks involved in reducing domestic gas prices. -
3 Nov 2022
Risks and responses repatriating foreign terrorist fighters and families
Australia is bringing home families that lived under Islamic State, and experience overseas offers valuable lessons. -
2 Nov 2022
B-52 bombers only part of a very long Australian story
A revamp of RAAF Tindal for the nuclear-capable aircraft creates opportunities well beyond military confidence building. -
2 Nov 2022
Australia must help turn back a regional democratic retreat
With only half the Indo-Pacific a democracy, a collective approach is needed to bolster critical institutions. -
31 Oct 2022
Overcoming suspicion: reconciliation for Australia and Bougainville
The angry reaction to Richard Marles’ comments should be a warning to Canberra about the need to settle past grievances. -
25 Oct 2022
Australia’s shared security in the Indian Ocean
As two littoral states with significant sway, Australia and India can act as a conduit to link regional groupings. -
25 Oct 2022
After West Jerusalem shift, will Labor also turn on Israel at the UN?
Far from advancing the cause of peace, the government risks separating Australia’s position from its closest friends. -
25 Oct 2022
Jerusalem, the rules-based order and deal-making
Australia's interests – near and far – are best served by consistent support for an effective multilateral system. -
24 Oct 2022
Where the chips fall: in containing China, the US can leave Australia out
Australia’s interest won’t be served by supporting US efforts to build a high fence around China’s technology industry. -
21 Oct 2022
Waiting for the thaw: the Pacific hopeful on Australia-China reset
The island countries stand to benefit from any improvement in relations between two big development partners. -
20 Oct 2022
Supporting democracy without fighting autocracies
A binary Australian foreign policy isn’t on the cards. Engagement is still the best way to support regional democracy. -
13 Oct 2022
Found in translation: Australia and China’s shared history
A memoir on collective historical baggage has much to teach about the evolution and maturation of both nations. -
10 Oct 2022
Sustainable catch: better Indonesia-Australia cooperation on fishing
A new agreement is a chance to address the core problems of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. -
10 Oct 2022
Australia and Pacific Islands: Polls apart?
Without a comprehensive public opinion survey of Pacific people, common attitudes can be challenging to identify. -
7 Oct 2022
A new aid strategy: purpose, priorities, and plumbing
The government has a chance to define the criteria used in the hard choices about how to allocate scarce aid dollars. -
6 Oct 2022
Economic diplomacy: Time for transparency on aid reform
A new study reveals difficult trade-offs between development spending on governance and the decline of democracy.