Articles | Lowy Institute

3 Apr 2019
Defence & Security

India
India’s anti-satellite missile test: also a test for the polity

Amit Cowshish

With an election afoot, controversy has inevitably grown about the timing of India’s successful “hit-and-kill” in space.
2 Apr 2019
Islamic State

Terrorism

Australia
The cost of terror: two tales of country life

Rodger Shanahan

The small town of Loxton in South Australia has seen bravery and betrayal, a microcosm of a globalised Islamist threat.
2 Apr 2019
Thailand
The frustrated wait for Thailand’s election outcome

Andrew Nachemson

The military already stacked the odds in its favour, and suspicion about missing ballots have only compounded doubts.
2 Apr 2019
United States

Iran
A year after US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran digs in

Barbara Slavin

The Trump administration calls it “maximum pressure” but Washington’s ability to further squeeze Tehran is constrained.
1 Apr 2019
Europe
Do you care about Slovakia? You should

Merriden Varrall

Right-wing populists are meant to be on the march, yet one European presidential election bucked the trend.
1 Apr 2019
European Union

United Kingdom
The greatest British political crisis of modern times

Lawrence Freedman

For all the talk, the Brexit debate has barely moved beyond how to get out of the EU, let alone tackle the big issues.
1 Apr 2019
United States

Japan

South Korea
As South Korea and Japan pick a fight, don’t expect Trump to care

Robert E Kelly

Washington often been an informal umpire for the depressingly regular spats between Seoul and Tokyo – not this time.
29 Mar 2019
Defence & Security

Asean

Southeast Asia
ASEAN Regional Forum: less might be more

Ron Huisken , Anthony Milner

Often dismissed as a “talk-shop”, the significance of this existing forum in a complex and nervous Asia could grow.
29 Mar 2019
Pacific Islands

Australia and the Pacific

France
Ignoring international law in the Blue Pacific

Nic Maclellan

Colonised peoples have rights to resources, on land and in the oceans, and this must be recognised.
29 Mar 2019
Egypt
Near death on the River Nile

Rodger Shanahan

A marathon journey dodging traffic jams and distracted taxi drivers, all to get a feel for the Middle East.
28 Mar 2019
Asia

Global Economy

Australia
Economic diplomacy: trade and infrastructure battles in Asia

Greg Earl

Australian business is not showing much faith in new free trade deals, meanwhile the Trade Minister debates “left wing”.
28 Mar 2019
India
Indian elections: cinema as an instrument of propaganda

Archana Atmakuri , Nazneen Mohsina

A string of silver screen features offers a powerful way to shape politics and damage opponents.
28 Mar 2019
China

Technology
Stockholm Syndrome: social media can shape China’s foreign policy

Thomas Olsen-Boyd

Social media is sometimes deployed as a weapon but public attitudes can – and have – cut both ways for Beijing.
27 Mar 2019
Islamic State

Terrorism
The case to prosecute “jihadi brides” at home

Lydia Khalil

Women played a key role in ISIS – while there are dangers, countries have a responsibility to see justice done.
27 Mar 2019
Pacific Islands
Pacific links: Tsai’s island travels, new in Niue, more

Alexandre Dayant

Indonesia’s interests in the neighbourhood, Vanuatu’s economy, and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
27 Mar 2019
Defence & Security

Australian Defence Force
Mobilising Defence in the “fourth industrial revolution”

Peter Layton

Information technology advances could revolutionise supply chains and logistics – if the ADF can seize the chance.
27 Mar 2019
War Crimes

Africa
Remembering Rwanda: small mercy from the horror of Kibeho

John Connor

Twenty-five years ago, Australian peacekeepers saw the tragic aftermath when the killing did not stop with the genocide.
26 Mar 2019
Defence & Security

United Kingdom

Africa
The strategic consequence of the Chagos Islands legal dispute

Bec Strating

When Britain leased Diego Garcia to the US to become a Cold War military base, did it have sovereign rights to do so?
26 Mar 2019
Defence & Security

United States
The battle to resource the US National Defense Strategy

Erin Hurley

Shifting the money to match US objectives in the Indo-Pacific is still proving to be a challenge.
26 Mar 2019
Cambodia
Taking transitional justice to Cambodia’s youth

Renee Jeffery

Decades after Khmer Rouge, reparations could not be afforded to its victims. So justice is looking at Cambodia’s youth.
25 Mar 2019
United States

The Trump Presidency
The Mueller illusion

Daniel Flitton

What the long investigation has really exposed is more of the same old politics at play.
25 Mar 2019
Review
Film Review: The Wandering Earth

Bruno Maçães

The film makes us think about the way in which civilisational differences can lead to new forms of artistic expression.
25 Mar 2019
Australian Foreign Aid
Reset required for DFAT-AusAID integration

Richard Moore

The promised magic to align aid with interests hasn’t actually materialised as power has shifted from the old aid club.
25 Mar 2019
North Korea
The “satellite clause” for North Korea’s rockets

Morris Jones

If North Korea does launch another satellite, will this really be an act to cover another missile test?
22 Mar 2019
Australia

India
Australia–India ties: closing the gap between intent and action

Natasha Jha Bhaskar

The potential of this relationship is often overshadowed by a severe lack of enthusiasm and episodes of prejudice.
22 Mar 2019
Australia

Papua New Guinea
Australia’s PNG gateway: far north Queensland

Shane McLeod

The far-north will be key to closer cross-border ties and Cairns hosted the Australia-PNG Emerging Leadership Dialogue.
22 Mar 2019
Global Economy
The sudden interest in Modern Monetary Theory

Stephen Grenville

It’s often said there is no such thing as a free lunch, and issuing cash is not a limitless source of funding.
22 Mar 2019
Terrorism

New Zealand
Christchurch enters a nightmare peculiar to our times

Martin Gurri

A different kind of monster stalks our age, but the public still has a choice whether to submit to his wickedness.
21 Mar 2019
Syria

Terrorism

Australia
Who bears responsibility for the children of ISIS?

Rodger Shanahan , Jennifer Percival

There are 70 Australian minors affiliated with ISIS in Syria. Yet there is no policy or direction on repatriation.
21 Mar 2019
Australia

New Zealand

Türkiye
Australia-Turkey: Erdogan’s bitter legacy in present-day history

Daniel Flitton

The intemperate outburst over Christchurch is more a product of Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian rule.
21 Mar 2019
Indonesia

Indonesian Elections
Indonesia: look beyond quotas for gender representation

Ben Bland

Gender quotas are a popular means of affirmative action but the number of female parliamentarians remains meagre.
21 Mar 2019
Pacific Islands
Getting the right data is step one to address Pacific problems

Murray Ackman

Much of the information needed to tackle regional challenges already exists – gathering this data is key.
20 Mar 2019
India
Rahul Gandhi: a reluctant leader’s bid to topple India’s Modi

Edmond Roy

He’s hoping to pull off a miracle but the Congress Party’s promotion of Priyanka Gandhi could betray a weakness.
20 Mar 2019
South Korea
The K-Pop sex and drugs scandal sweeping South Korea

Nicole de Souza

It started with Big Bang and has spiralled into an ever-widening controversy, with privilege and misogyny at the heart.
20 Mar 2019
Aid links: cyclones, “confusopoly”, collaboration, more

Alexandre Dayant

Links and stories from the aid and development sector.
20 Mar 2019
Diplomacy

United States

China
Why reciprocity matters: the US Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act

Natasha Kassam

China’s days of treating the US as a peer and expecting special treatment at the same time appear to be running out.
20 Mar 2019
China-Australia Relations

Australia

China
Responding to China’s not-so-secret influence campaign

Euan Graham

There are downsides to China’s economic value proposition and politicians could do more to prep the public.
19 Mar 2019
Australia

Indonesia

New Zealand
Why Jakarta called in Australia’s ambassador after Christchurch

Ben Bland

With an Indonesian among the dead, some local politiking has mixed with sadness following the mosque attacks.
19 Mar 2019
Pacific Islands
Not one, but two new points of tension for France in the Pacific

Alexandre Dayant

Two tiny and uninhabited islands have revived deep tensions between France and Vanuatu, even after New Caledonia’s vote.
19 Mar 2019
Terrorism

New Zealand
Christchurch attack: the dark web of terrorism as entertainment

Nicolas Johnston

The killer pointedly sought to marry mass killing with fringe online humour, desensitising his “audience” to the horror.
19 Mar 2019
Afghanistan
Peace in Afghanistan: the tumultuous road ahead

Roshni Kapur , Archana Atmakuri

The next round of peace talks will be anything but straightforward if the previous negotiations are anything to go by.
18 Mar 2019
China
China’s Social Credit System: the black market and inequalities

Wu Shang-Su , Gulizar Haciyakupoglu

Could Beijing’s new governance method erode trust between the public and the Party?
18 Mar 2019
India-Australia Relations

Australia

India
India: never quite in focus

Aarti Betigeri

India deserves sustained closer scrutiny, but with Australian media groups shuttering bureaux, attention is fleeting.
18 Mar 2019
Terrorism

New Zealand
Five questions about the Christchurch attack

Rodger Shanahan

There may not be a direct causal link between the attack and conservative political rhetoric. It is too early to tell.
18 Mar 2019
China

Solomon Islands

Taiwan
Diplomatic switch? Solomon Islands relations with Taiwan or China

Denghua Zhang , Transform Aqorau

Honiara might break with Taipei after the April election, and may not be the last in a tug of war with Beijing.
15 Mar 2019
Defence & Security

Singapore
Singapore’s careful F-35 fighter aircraft purchase

Peter Layton

With these flying advanced sensor arrays, the aim could be to protect Singapore as Switzerland of Southeast Asia.
15 Mar 2019
Japan

Philippines
With US out of favour and China doubts, Duterte turns to Tokyo

Alexander M. Hynd , Alexine Sanchez

Japan has quietly, and successfully, been building ties with the Philippines in a way that could calm a volatile region.
15 Mar 2019
European Union

United Kingdom
Brexit: Britain’s Commonwealth pivot is nothing new

Andrew Dougall

Britain has pinned hopes on former colonies before, with overstated consequences then, leaving lingering doubts now.
15 Mar 2019
Afghanistan

China

India

Pakistan
China’s “South Asia challenge” for the Belt and Road Initiative

Antara Ghosal Singh

Chinese strategists have identified three trends that pose severe challenges to the promotion of the BRI in South Asia.
14 Mar 2019
Australia

Southeast Asia
Economic diplomacy: trade and traps in ASEAN

Greg Earl

Ecommerce is booming in Southeast Asia, posing a challenge for Australia where goods trade tends to dominate discussion.