Articles | Lowy Institute

19 Sep 2019
Iran
What Iran’s hardliners stand to gain from the Abqaiq attack

Mahmoud Pargoo

If Tehran gave the green light to a strike in Saudi Arabia, why now, just as a Trump-Rouhani meeting seemed possible?
19 Sep 2019
Pacific Islands
Pacific Aid Map: An update

Jonathan Pryke , Alexandre Dayant

New data and new tools aim to improve research into foreign aid in the Pacific region.
19 Sep 2019
Syria

Australia
Syria: Is it time for the West to talk with Assad?

Bob Bowker

Engaging Assad, while repugnant, is better than words of sound and fury delivered that makes little difference.
18 Sep 2019
Afghanistan War

Afghanistan
Afghanistan – what’s next?

Susanne Schmeidl , Astri Suhrke

Talks or not, none of the scenarios for the immediate future of Afghanistan are good.
18 Sep 2019
Japan
Abe’s new cabinet includes a rising star and putative Prime Minister

Purnendra Jain , Takeshi Kobayashi

Koizumi is a famous name in Japanese politics, and Shinjiro, son of the former PM, is capturing plenty of headlines.
18 Sep 2019
United States

Australia
A White House dinner for two: A tell-tale of tweets and transcripts

Daniel Flitton

Ahead of a Washington rendezvous, Donald Trump and Scott Morrison revel in their own words.
18 Sep 2019
Diplomacy

Australia

Japan

South Korea
Korea-Japan tensions, as seen in the suburbs of Brisbane

Melissa Conley Tyler , Mitchell Vandewerdt-Holman

When Toowong briefly hit the headlines in South Korea, it signalled another test for Australia’s regional engagement.
17 Sep 2019
United States

Iran

Saudi Arabia
Raising the stakes in the Gulf’s game of reprisals

Rodger Shanahan

With global energy markets rattled, the tit-for-tat exchanges have reached a new level.
17 Sep 2019
Australia

China
Gladys Liu and the pitfalls of cultural anxiety

John Fitzgerald

Fraught relations with China could affect Chinese-Australians for generations to come.
17 Sep 2019
Indonesia
Habibie’s legacy of Reformasi in Indonesia

Peter McCawley

In his brief term as president, BJ Habibie made significant changes in the country.
17 Sep 2019
Timor-Leste
In Timor-Leste, a big set of challenges

Guteriano Neves

Two decades after gaining independence, Timor-Leste needs a long-term strategy for sustainable economic development.
16 Sep 2019
Global Issues

Myanmar

China

India

Indonesia

Pakistan
So-called media abundance still leaves blind spots with our neighbours

Alexandra Wake

Even in the age of 24/7 news, governments are good at keeping the cameras away from persecuted communities.
16 Sep 2019
China-Australia Relations

Australian Diplomacy
On China, principles vs pragmatism

Kevin Robb

Australia needs to consider its moments to push human rights issues with its largest trading partner.
16 Sep 2019
United States

The Trump Presidency
The last of the White House neocons

Gorana Grgic

Bolton’s ouster makes clear the US president’s policy isn’t “America first”, but “Trump first”.
16 Sep 2019
Papua New Guinea
Quiet and unquiet graves: letter from Port Moresby

Gordon Peake

What ghostly memorials of a distant past tell us about the present.
13 Sep 2019
Tunisia
The Arab Spring echoes as Tunisia faces the test of democracy

Merriden Varrall

The presidential race has brought out a combative range of candidates, prying apart an already divided electorate.
13 Sep 2019
Book review: Hitler’s Anglo-Saxon envy

Marcus Colla

A new biography argues the German dictator’s true obsession was to find a way to compete with the US and Great Britain.
12 Sep 2019
Asia

China's Economy

Indonesia's Economy

Japan's Economy
Economic diplomacy: Indonesian trade, ADB v BRI and Chinese money

Greg Earl

Indonesia’s economic growth might not be spectacular, but it is the world’s most stable – and that helps Australia.
12 Sep 2019
Israel
Will Israeli voters give Bibi a “get out of jail” card?

Ian Parmeter

The corruption allegations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are the subtext to the elections on 17 September.
12 Sep 2019
China

Solomon Islands

Taiwan
The wisdom of Solomons: Taiwan and China’s Pacific power play

Graeme Smith

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare offers an insight on the whys and why nots of diplomatic recognition.
11 Sep 2019
United States

Afghanistan

Pakistan
Not such a great game

Adnan Aamir

Pakistan staked its fortunes on brokering a US-Taliban peace deal in Afghanistan. Then Donald Trump scuttled it.
11 Sep 2019
China

New Zealand
Why did the NZ Opposition Leader jump the shark on China?

Robert Ayson

National is partying like its 2008 and playing domestic politics without a care to the cost.
11 Sep 2019
United States

Australia

The Trump Presidency
Bolton sacking means Morrison will visit a White House again in chaos

Daniel Flitton

<p>So much diplomatic energy is wasted when Donald Trump decides to fire another key administration official.</p>
11 Sep 2019
Pacific Islands
Pacific links: diplomatic wrangling and country nomenclature

Alexandre Dayant

From Solomon Islands to Cook Islands, controversy abounds with stories from across the Pacific Islands region.
11 Sep 2019
China

Hong Kong
Cat videos meet Big Brother

Elliott Zaagman

China has harnessed domestic social media to spread its propaganda. What happens when it exports the same tactics?
10 Sep 2019
Global Issues

Regional relationships
At sea, safety is just as important as security

Sam Bateman

The Indian Ocean region needs stronger measures for maritime safety.
10 Sep 2019
North Korea

Vietnam
The Amazing Race flies into North Korea

Khang Vu

North Korea’s charm offensive stepped up a gear when the popular and long-running TV franchise made a stopover.
10 Sep 2019
Russia

Rules Based Audio
Kremlinology: What does Russia want? Rules Based Audio podcast out now

Kelsey Munro

In Episode 9, Russian dissident Yevgenia Albats and veteran Russia analyst Bobo Lo talk about what Putin wants.
10 Sep 2019
Asean
Why the US and its allies should keep ASEAN at the centre

Anu Anwar

Southeast Asia has its own interest in maintaining the free flow of trade in the region.
9 Sep 2019
India
Narendra Modi, frequent flyer

Ian Hall

Although faced with a slew of domestic challenges, the Indian prime minister has kept up his globetrotting ways.
9 Sep 2019
Australia

Africa
The withering of Robert Mugabe, as told by Australia’s Prime Ministers

Daniel Flitton

It’s hard to fathom looking back, but Zimbabwe’s troubles consumed countless hours for Australia’s political leaders.
9 Sep 2019
Maritime Security

Myanmar
With new coastguard, Myanmar looks to improve maritime security

Andrew Selth

The proposed force would help protect the country’s lengthy coastline, and open opportunities for regional cooperation.
6 Sep 2019
Mekong: When the river runs dry

Milton Osborne

Both drought and upstream water releases again challenge the control of the Mekong River.
6 Sep 2019
India

Malaysia
A fugitive preacher ignites controversy in Malaysia

Max Walden

The government’s shielding of Zakir Naik tests PM Mahathir Mohamad’s commitment to equal rights and democratic values.
6 Sep 2019
Nuclear Weapons

India

Pakistan
Pressure upon pressure builds around Kashmir

Stuti Bhatnagar

<p>Amid sabre rattling and sharp rhetoric, the hostility between India and Pakistan is only growing.</p>
6 Sep 2019
United States

China

Japan
China’s Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands ploy to undercut the US-Japan alliance

Andrew Taffer

The 2012–13 crises revealed Beijing’s wedging strategy, and that needs to be understood before tensions flare again.
5 Sep 2019
The Trump Presidency
Trump: When will enough be enough?

Robert E Kelly

After a month of manic and bizarre behaviour, the President’s approval ratings barely move.
5 Sep 2019
Diplomacy
Leaders’ communiqués: Do we need them anymore?

Joanna Hewitt

Even without a statement to share the results of summit deliberations, global leaders’ meetings still get things done.
5 Sep 2019
Timor-Leste
How the people of Timor‑Leste feel about security

Robin Perry

A new nationwide survey reveals strong trust in local security actors but also the obstacles to maintaining peace.
5 Sep 2019
China

Japan

Africa
Can Japan catch up in the economic scramble for Africa?

Anthony Maliki

From used-car markets to giant infrastructure projects, Asia’s leading powers see more than a continent in need of aid.
4 Sep 2019
Indonesia

Climate change
In Java, the water is running out

Kate Walton

Drought, pollution, and poor resource management threaten Indonesia's most populous island with total water scarcity.
4 Sep 2019
Australia

Bangladesh
In Dhaka, Payne will look to renew engagement with Bangladesh

Syed Badrul Ahsan

The Australian Foreign Minister has a lengthy agenda to cover, from refugees to trade to terrorism.
4 Sep 2019
Aid links: Greta in New York, Rohingya crisis two years on, more

Alexandre Dayant

Links and stories from the aid and development sector.
4 Sep 2019
Australian Defence Force
You can’t always get what you want, but you can get what you need

Victor Abramowicz

If Australia must spend more on the military, there is no point buying a Ferrari when a Toyota will do.
3 Sep 2019
Pacific Islands

Australia and the Pacific
Waking up to Australia’s real Pacific family

Wadan Narsey

A simple act of generosity could have recast Australia’s climate-change politics in the region for the better.
3 Sep 2019
The “grey zone”: Political warfare is back

Thomas Paterson

As the battles shift in the digital age, Australia needs a strategy to compete – and to win public support.
3 Sep 2019
Germany
Germany’s enigmatic East and the fate of Europe’s right-wing populists

Marcus Colla

The far-right gained at weekend elections, but only in a cycle of division that leaves politics increasingly fragmented.
3 Sep 2019
Diplomacy

United States

United Nations

Iran
How the US keeps priority boarding ahead of Iran at the United Nations

Carlisle Richardson

If Iran’s Foreign Minister wants to speak at UN headquarters in New York, is the US obliged to issue him a visa?
2 Sep 2019
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste’s future still shadowed by the past

Sophie Raynor

History and heroes hold the spotlight, 20 years after the country voted for its freedom.
2 Sep 2019
United States

Trade

China
A light amid the gloom of the US-China trade war

John Edwards

Everything leaks in Washington, except the 150-page summary of the trade talks – and that’s a good sign of seriousness.