19 Nov 2019
Jokowi’s curious plan for Indonesia’s capital
The Indonesian president’s scheme to move the capital won’t fix Jakarta – or the government.
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19 Nov 2019
How China is winning the Hong Kong propaganda war
Discredit, attack, and marginalise. Beijing is showing just how to wait out the protests, then turn the tide. -
19 Nov 2019
Globalisation’s next wave: Podcast out now
Economist Richard Baldwin talks about the coming jobs apocalypse in rich countries – and its upside. -
19 Nov 2019
Book review: The chance to actually change the climate
Getting something done about global warming might seem a bit too good to be true, but good policy ideas demand action. -
18 Nov 2019
Australia and immigration: Lessons from Reagan’s 1986 US amnesty law
New research suggests that giving legal status to unauthorised immigrants can have multiple positive outcomes. -
18 Nov 2019
Shifting alliances in the Gulf a boon to China
Iran’s offer to connect Chabahar port to Pakistan’s Gwadar will frustrate India but might also encourage China. -
18 Nov 2019
Trade war: From a phase one deal to perpetual peace
How to reconcile deeper ideological differences underlying the US-China conflicts is a far greater challenge. -
15 Nov 2019
Ayodhya verdict and unruly consequences
India’s Supreme Court has delivered a ruling that will embolden the Hindu right and challenge the country’s secularism. -
15 Nov 2019
Autocrats Anonymous
A White House confessional reveals Donald Trump incapable of change – a kind of Marvel superhero, but less interesting. -
15 Nov 2019
Book Review: The original corporate raiders
Historian William Dalrymple looks at how a small trading company in London became a mighty army and conquered India. -
14 Nov 2019
Surviving hell
Bush fires rip across Australia – a million hectares burnt so far – testing volunteers and residents alike. -
14 Nov 2019
SCO-style economic cooperation: Treading slowly
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation efforts to rebrand itself as an economic forum deserve a second look. -
14 Nov 2019
Chart of the week: Australia’s “fear and greed” with China
In just two decades, Australia’s relationship with China has evolved dramatically, illustrated by exports. -
13 Nov 2019
Sri Lanka’s election threatens a return to authoritarian rule
A looming comeback by the powerful Rajapaksa family stirs fear among minorities and imperils fragile democratic gains. -
13 Nov 2019
A motion towards justice in Myanmar
An International Court of Justice filing seeks to declare the state committed acts of genocide against the Rohingya. -
13 Nov 2019
Pacific links: Peter O’Neill speaks, a new volcanic island, media bans
Links and stories from across the Pacific Islands region. -
13 Nov 2019
In conversation: Weak parties, hollow politics, and democratic danger
Could a radical break with Asia be the cost of a growing dislocation of the political parties and the Australian public? -
12 Nov 2019
Connecting the dots on the Blue Dot Network
Beyond a press release trumpeting “high-quality infrastructure” and “global trust standards”, things are a bit fuzzy. -
12 Nov 2019
Russia’s southern strategy
The pace of Russian re-engagement in Africa and the Indian Ocean region has accelerated as US influence has waned. -
12 Nov 2019
North Korea’s deadline logic
Pyongyang has declared an end-of-year cut off in the nuclear talks, yet does such a deadline really matter? -
11 Nov 2019
Signs of a deal between US and China, and a rethink
Both countries have good reasons to cool off the two-year trade war. -
11 Nov 2019
Australia’s F-35s: Lessons from a problematic purchase
The rush nearly 20 years ago to buy the fighter of the future exposed fundamental shortcomings in defence acquisitions. -
11 Nov 2019
Review: Australia, real and imagined
It’s time to inject new content into the hardy ideal of a free and equal Australia. -
8 Nov 2019
India draws the line on Kashmir
New maps issued by India raise some important questions – starting with what exactly they mean. -
8 Nov 2019
Beijing’s cryptic blockchain gambit
The technology has enormous potential to support good governance. The Party may have something else in mind. -
7 Nov 2019
The uncertain fate of Islamic State in Pakistan
The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a major blow, but Islamic State in Pakistan is not dead yet. -
7 Nov 2019
Economic diplomacy: RCEP and ASEAN’s new way, plus voting ADB-style
What was Factory Asia has made a subtle shift to a consumer-driven Market Asia under the “world’s biggest trade deal”. -
7 Nov 2019
Chart of the week: Trump and the US-Australia alliance
Most Australians say the alliance makes us safer, but also makes Australia more likely to be drawn into a war in Asia. -
6 Nov 2019
The Rohingya Football Club
Observations from the field after a sobering experience attempting to use sport as a form of aid. -
6 Nov 2019
India’s RCEP exit a setback, but not a disaster
With an India–China deadlock out of the way, the path is clear to finalise the historic regional trade agreement. -
6 Nov 2019
Protests in Lebanon are a problem for Hezbollah
A rare and unified anti-sectarian agenda could quickly unravel as religious identities and old grievances take hold. -
6 Nov 2019
Aid links: the financial boon of open borders, Timor tourism, more
Links and stories from the aid and development sector. -
5 Nov 2019
India’s clever alliances with island states
A multifaceted outreach with Indian Ocean neighbours provides useful lessons in navigating China’s dominance. -
5 Nov 2019
The Sino–Russian alliance and what it means for Australia
Moscow and Beijing are closer than ever, increasing threats to Australia’s vital and long-standing interests. -
5 Nov 2019
October in Syria: Podcast out now
Rodger Shanahan unpacks the US withdrawal from Syria and the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Are they linked? -
5 Nov 2019
Photo essay: Phnom Penh and China-backed building boom
Towering over low shops and French colonial–era townhouses grows a new city in tribute to the politics of the present. -
4 Nov 2019
China’s slam dunk of the NBA is a game changer
Western businesses ditching ethics for market access isn’t new, but the NBA’s cowering has finally made it a story. -
4 Nov 2019
What 1989 unleashed, and what it didn’t
The story of “post-Wall” Central Europe is not simply a straight line from liberalism’s triumph to its collapse. -
4 Nov 2019
Kinship is vital to Pacific disaster response
As the Pacific cyclone season looms, Australia should look to those already stepping up – the Pacific diaspora. -
1 Nov 2019
In search of clarity on Hong Kong’s future
Hong Kong and China would both benefit from a clear understanding of the city status post-2047. -
1 Nov 2019
Film review: Torture, lies, and videotape
Adam Driver stars as Daniel Jones, who spent more than six years uncovering the dark secrets of the US war on terror. -
1 Nov 2019
Out of sight, out of mind? Irregular people movement on the doorstep
People haven’t stopped trying to migrate in the region, yet Australia’s role has been reduced to that of a bystander. -
31 Oct 2019
What Russia wants in a multipolar world
Canberra should rethink its approach to Moscow, recognising areas of difference yet be willing to see common ground. -
31 Oct 2019
Chart of the week: Australian versus Chinese aid in the Pacific
By the numbers, while China promises a lot to the region, it actually delivers far less. -
31 Oct 2019
PNG’s supplementary budget: An honest accounting
James Marape warned the economy was “bleeding”, and setting out the true fiscal position is a first step to healing. -
31 Oct 2019
China, a low-productivity superpower
A shift from agriculture to industrial work can mask challenges to China’s growth, especially in the services sector. -
30 Oct 2019
Towards a peaceful and inclusive Asia
Resurrecting the idea of “Asia” can help give smaller states agency to guide China as a responsible and benign giant. -
30 Oct 2019
See you in court? A rising tide of international climate litigation
Vanuatu is pushing for international courts to tackle the climate crisis in a move that could put the heat on Australia. -
30 Oct 2019
Pacific links: donors jostle for influence, maddening Maseratis, more
Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
30 Oct 2019
How Africa is breaking China’s neo-colonial shackles
Beijing is fending off African resentment over debt and for importing workers – and facing extra competition, too.