Articles | Lowy Institute

29 Oct 2019
Malaysia
Messy is the new order: Succession time in Malaysia

Ooi Kok Hin

Rather than a personality rivalry between Mahathir and Anwar, a wider decentralisation of political power is underway.
29 Oct 2019
United Nations

Indonesia
With a UN Human Rights Council seat, Indonesia has a choice

Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat , Ramadha Valentine , Dimas Permadi

Jakarta could put human rights at the centre of its foreign policy, as well as clean up its act at home.
29 Oct 2019
Japan
Soft power, hard weather: Japanese resilience

David Walton

A ferocious typhoon has tested Japan amid the Rugby World Cup and before the Olympics – and taught valuable lessons.
28 Oct 2019
Terrorism
The vulnerable state of Islamic State

Lydia Khalil

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was likely trying to forge an alliance to stave off fighters defecting to other jihadi groups.
28 Oct 2019
Global Issues

Syria

Kurdistan

Türkiye
The worrying precedent of Turkey’s “safe zone”

Rebecca Barber

Under international law, one country cannot invade another to seize territory – yet that appears to have been endorsed.
28 Oct 2019
Remembering the “wasman” of Papua New Guinea

Paul Slater

Australia’s embrace of the Pacific future needs to look to the untold past as well.
25 Oct 2019
In Chile, APEC vs anarchy

Erin Watson-Lynn

With heavy street protests leading the president to declare a state of emergency, Chile’s big showcase is looking iffy.
25 Oct 2019
Australia

China
Victoria takes the initiative with China

Daniel Flitton

<p>For reasons perhaps best known to himself, the premier has re-upped the state’s agreement on Belt and Road.</p>
25 Oct 2019
Indonesia
Indonesia’s new cabinet and its human rights implications

Olivia Tasevski

Jokowi’s appointments will be rightly questioned: is he interested in human rights or the rights of the Indonesian army?
25 Oct 2019
Defence & Security

United States

Australia

China

India

Japan
Finally, some plain talk on the Quad

Iain Henry

The US Secretary of State dropped a fig leaf: Washington thinks the Quad can help put China back in its “proper place”.
24 Oct 2019
Global Economy

Australia

Indonesia
Economic diplomacy: Indonesia trade, ASIO business & deglobalisation

Greg Earl

Balancing national security and national prosperity – a range of views and the call for a range of resources.
24 Oct 2019
Pacific Islands

Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting

Australia
ABC: Australia’s waning soft-power star

Annmaree O’Keeffe

The public broadcaster alone cannot be responsible for Australia’s international voice, so more need to be heard.
24 Oct 2019
European Union

United Kingdom
Brexit: “Do or die”

Lawrence Freedman

Boris Johnson swerves from “no deal” to “deal”, while a not-so-anonymous source steers the headlines in his favour.
24 Oct 2019
Syria

Terrorism

Australia

Iraq
Trump’s troop withdrawal and what’s next for Islamic State

Daniel Flitton , Lydia Khalil

Having pre-emptively declared the militant group “100% defeated”, the pull back from Syria raises different threats.
23 Oct 2019
Australia

China

Antarctica
Antarctica and the China test

Mark Harrison

While Australia’s federal politicians ponder the US-China puzzle, it may be state governments stuck with real choices.
23 Oct 2019
Pacific Islands

China and the Pacific
China, the Pacific, and the “debt trap” question

Roland Rajah , Alexandre Dayant , Jonathan Pryke

Charges of saddling Pacific countries in debt may be overstated, but China’s lending practices still pose risks.
23 Oct 2019
Aid links: development how-to guides, Nobel winners, more

Alexandre Dayant

A selection of links and stories from the aid and development sector.
23 Oct 2019
China

Hong Kong
Hong Kong protesters need a narrative – now

JJ Rose

News coverage is beginning to fall away with nothing new to report, because the demonstrations alone don’t tell a story.
22 Oct 2019
Australia
A muddled message makes it harder for Australia’s friends to trust us

Sian Troath

An already complicated strategic realm is compounded when the government’s narrative undermines the nation’s strengths.
22 Oct 2019
China

Hong Kong
China’s own “Great Delusion”

Elliott Zaagman

China has turned American hubris on its head – overselling realism and nationalism while ignoring liberalism.
22 Oct 2019
The Trump Presidency

Rules Based Audio
Agent of instability: Trump’s America - Podcast out now

Kelsey Munro

In Episode 12 of Rules Based Audio, former US Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns discusses US foreign policy under Trump.
21 Oct 2019
Middle East
Sparks fly in Lebanon

Lauren Williams

Recent protests and wildfires are both symptoms of chronic mismanagement, corruption, and dysfunction.
21 Oct 2019
China

Solomon Islands
Rumblings along the federal fault line in Solomon Islands

Graeme Smith , Joseph D. Foukona

Reports of China “leasing an entire Pacific island” have again exposed provincial and central government divisions.
21 Oct 2019
Myanmar
Facebook, the Rohingya, and internet blackouts in Myanmar

Adam Simpson

Online restrictions imposed on the Rohingya in Myanmar and in refugee camps in Bangladesh should be repealed.
18 Oct 2019
Trade

Technology
Are free trade deals expanding a digital divide?

Rahul Nath Choudhury

E-commerce is a big feature of regional trade talks, but developing countries should be wary of the pitfalls.
18 Oct 2019
Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting

Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea’s untold media freedom challenge

Himmat Shaligram

Cuts by foreign news agencies, poor resourcing and cultural hurdles for local journalists are obstacles to overcome.
17 Oct 2019
Sustainability

China

Climate change
China’s carbon emissions trading scheme: Smoke and mirrors

Fergus Green , Lauri Myllyvirta

China has adopted a scheme to reduce carbon intensity, but that is not the most effective way to reduce CO2 emissions.
17 Oct 2019
Iraq
Iraq protests: The cost of corruption and failed reforms

Jon Norling

The compromise that put Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi in office has entrenched patronage politics and fuelled public rage.
16 Oct 2019
Diplomacy

Japan
Dispatches from the front (row)

Rodger Shanahan

Japan – through its team and wonderful crowds – put on a rugby festival worthy of the name.
16 Oct 2019
New Caledonia

France
New Caledonia decides the timing of its second independence referendum

Denise Fisher

Loyalists and independence groups are staking out positions, with another two votes now likely.
16 Oct 2019
Pacific Islands
Pacific links: dividends of a diplomatic switch, O’Neill warrant, more

Alexandre Dayant

Taiwan looks to shore up support in the region, plus other stories from across the Pacific Islands.
16 Oct 2019
India

Pakistan
Could Australia unlock the Kashmir question?

Edmond Roy

Homilies about strengthening relationships should be matched by ambition – like in the past – to get something done.
15 Oct 2019
China

India
Plogging along: India-China struggle to find momentum

Aarti Betigeri

<p>Little of substance appeared to come from weekend talks between Modi and Xi – and maybe that’s the point.</p>
15 Oct 2019
Diplomacy

United States

United Kingdom
Diplomatic immunity: Time to change the rules

Alison Pert

A fatal road accident in the UK has again put a spotlight on potential abuse of a system intended to protect envoys.
15 Oct 2019
Terrorism

Indonesia
The Wiranto attack and the ISIS impact

Sidney Jones

With events in the Middle East as a constant goad, people such as Syahrial Alamsyah will find excuses for violence.
15 Oct 2019
Pacific Islands

Australia and Climate Change

Australia and the Pacific
“Accepting the science”, rejecting the action

Nic Maclellan

If the Morrison government is on board with reducing emissions, as it seems to claim, it needs to step up its policies.
14 Oct 2019
China
China and the problem with liberal values in a corporate world

Nathan Attrill

Corporations will never be vanguards for free speech in a new era of ideological competition with the People’s Republic.
14 Oct 2019
Syria

Türkiye
Turkey’s “safe zone” may prove costly

Xiaoli Guo

In Ankara’s view, the intervention in Syria has been a diplomatic and military success, but an economic risk looms.
14 Oct 2019
Global Economy

United States

Trade

China
US-China trade talks: No deal yet, but a breakthrough of sorts

John Edwards

Donald Trump has begun talking about “phases”, suggesting he has a more realistic expectation of what it is possible.
14 Oct 2019
China
China and Catholicism, an unhappy marriage

Michael Sainsbury

Despite a deal made with the Vatican a year ago, China continues trying to shape the church in its own image.
11 Oct 2019
Pacific Islands

Sustainability

Japan
The underappreciated value of Japanese aid in the Pacific

Alexandre Dayant , Michael Nguyen

Japan has made a significant contribution to regional development, especially in managing lucrative fish stocks.
11 Oct 2019
China

Taiwan
For China, “national reunification” with Taiwan remains a dream

Randy Mulyanto

Xi Jinping regularly invokes “one country, two systems” to unite China and Taiwan, yet wins little support.
11 Oct 2019
United States

North Korea

South Korea
Why does North Korea keep dragging its feet?

Khang Vu

Pyongyang is taking a high-risk, high-reward approach to its engagement with the US.
10 Oct 2019
Papua New Guinea
PNG’s confusing budget debate

Bernard Yegiora

Amid claim and counter-claim, the true state of the PNG economy is lost amid personality politics.
10 Oct 2019
Global Economy

IMF

WTO

Asean
Economic diplomacy: Auditing globalism, trade woes, ASEAN’s future

Greg Earl

Measuring and managing the world economy – and Australia’s place – sees a pushback to a “negative globalism” mantra.
10 Oct 2019
Afghanistan
Afghan elections: Impressions from polling day

Srinjoy Bose , Nishank Motwani

Low voter turnout and polling irregularities threaten to undermine whoever emerges as the country’s next president.
10 Oct 2019
Asia

Review
Asia’s diversity, made all the same

John West

Parag Khanna’s The Future is Asian is a perfect example of “Asian Century” hype.
9 Oct 2019
United States

Syria

Australia
The sharp shift on Syria

Brigid O’Farrell

To pull out from northern Syria only invites more trouble – already ISIS is seeking advantage.
9 Oct 2019
Aid links: Rohingya crisis continues, China’s Africa education, more

Alexandre Dayant

Links and stories from the aid and development sector.
9 Oct 2019
Terrorism
The women of ISIS and the fog of law

Rodger Shanahan

The case of an Australian stripped of her citizenship illustrates the complexity of handling the fallout of extremism.