American tourism into North Korea was the last, only way for regular, non-elite Americans and North Koreans to interact.

The United States has reached ‘full employment’ but this hasn’t created satisfactory jobs for a significant part of the work force.

The fetters on Myanmar’s democracy are many, but while most are in the hands of the military, Aung San Suu Kyi's party could reform Article 66(d) tomorrow.

Those familiar with the chequered history of Pakistani politics are nervous about what lies ahead.

The RBA leadership is clearly thinking about the possibility that the relationship between inflation and output growth may have altered in an enduring way.

Supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Lebanese government does mean tacitly accepting the presence of Hizbullah, a designated terrorist group in Europe and the US.

In selecting Greg Moriarty for the job, Payne, Pyne and Turnbull leapfrogged over the obvious candidates – in doing so they have chosen well.

This weeks links include the psychology of psychic numbing, the ongoing plight of Rohingya asylum seekers, and Chinese development infrastructure projects.

If the ADF deploys for more humanitarian operations in the Pacific, its budget, equipment and personnel will be stressed.

It looks as though the United States is going back to its position during negotiations on UNCLOS, and setting aside the carefully balanced nature of the EEZ regime.

The rapid progress of the ICBM program suggests reality is catching up with the rhetoric.

A Chinese naval asset surveils Talisman Saber, results from Timor-Leste's parliamentary elections, Boris Johnson's Lowy Lecture and more.

Three ongoing troubles threaten to erode the prospects of progress in Myanmar.

This month's links include censorship regarding Liu Xiabo's death on weibo and WeChat, internet use among the North Korean elite and Thailand floating the idea of registration for Facebook users.

Johnson was quick to quote his political idol Winston Churchill in lauding the 'special genius of the English-speaking peoples'.

Generation HK traces the city’s recent history through a series of unforgettable profiles of young Hong Kong residents.

Arrogance and carelessness in the LDP has disturbed, if not stopped, the advancement of realistic security policy.

A common assessment system for the Five Eyes allies would assist in safeguarding interlinked telecommunications and high-tech sectors.

Despite the economic and development challenges ahead, the Timorese people are incredibly optimistic about their future.

This week's links include Australia's warning on UK visa changes, the plight of undocumented workers in the US and data on the Eastern Mediterranean Route.

Business has been called on to be a key player in an intriguing, new and more contestable approach to intelligence gathering and analysis.

More results from PNG's vote, women in Melanesian elections, the Pacific Community and more.

For Beijing, armed drone exports are good business in more ways than one.

By proposing that Peter Dutton head a Department of Home Affairs, Malcolm Turnbull has sought to optimise the political benefits of a sound policy decision.

It was always part of the Trump agenda to do something about the North American Free Trade Agreement (‘one of the worst deals ever’) covering the US, Canada and Mexico: the outcome is renegotiation rather than the threatened termination.

For the first time in more than 30 years, Australia has a military strategy that is beginning to truly align ends, ways and means.

The most effective way for the DG ONI to influence agencies and their parent departments would be to have some control over the National Intelligence Community budget.

It is possible to both condemn China’s political system, but also accept it as an incipient great power with legitimate security concerns.

The CIA program was trying to apply just enough pressure while also accounting for all weapons, even though it didn’t control them: it was too big an ask.

A clean, elected, non-Thaksin Thailand government might be able to walk a narrow path by pursuing more progressive social and economic policy without offending the powerful elites.

The potential benefits of increased labour mobility, tackling inequality, deforestation and more.

Haiwingxing’s deployment is further confirmation of both the increasing reach of the PLA-N and of its developing ability to conduct multiple, widely-dispersed operations simultaneously.

FRETILIN has received the largest share of the vote but the PLP could be the party to watch in the future.

Both of those functions were envisaged in the legislation establishing ONA, enacted 40 years ago in 1977, after the seminal report by Justice Hope into the AIC.

The appearance of a Chinese Navy AGI during Talisman Sabre is not all bad news for Canberra’s defence engagement with Beijing. But maintaining the smiles will prove harder in future.

Critically in Canberra power terms, the Director General ONI’s capacity to wrangle the other larger agencies like ASD and ASIS would be boosted.

<p>How the IMF would perform in another crisis, Jokowi's disbanding of Hizbut Tahrir, Macron's diplomatie d'affichage, and more.</p>

Beijing is not just trying to take control of an important body of water. It is trying to take control of East Asia and hopes to use the South China Sea dispute to do that.

<p>The ultimate issue will not be the politics of allocation of agencies to a new portfolio, but the increased effectiveness of the Australian Intelligence Community through the early implementation of these reforms.</p>

The India-China standoff at the Doklam tri-junction area, now in its second month, is the most serious crisis between the two countries in 30 years.

The Home Affairs Ministry announcement was short on detail and unclear in some areas, and the challenge now is to understand how it will work.

Those of us on the line would appreciate some tangible help in holding back the world’s worst nuclear problem; not just empty words and slogans.

This week's links include a look at the US/Australia refugee swap deal, a European guidebook for refugees, and imagining a world without borders.

Australia being a multicultural country does not obligate its parliament to be a multinational legislature.

France's President Emmanuel Macron is striking a pragmatic and self-confident tone in the country's foreign policy.

This week's include more and varied fallout from the PNG election - including some results - and a World Heritage victory for French Polynesia.

The three pillars of the Malay establishment would be much more likely to accept a non-Barisan Nasional government if it is one with Mahathir at the top.

The Jokowi Administration is not the first Southeast Asian government to use name changes to obscure adverse developments on the water in the South China Sea.

The tone of IMF Deputy Managing Director Mitsuhiro Furusawa is one of quiet satisfaction. But a different narrative can be told.

The 2017 Intelligence Review was necessary and its recommendations are pertinent and strong.