Articles

Palaces and protests: Where to next for Russia?

By Ian Hill

Popular support for Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny won’t bring down the Putin regime, but it has stripped off the façade.   Read more

Political repression and authoritarian legalism in Hong Kong

By Brendan Clift

The recent round-up and arrest of 53 pro-democracy activists in China’s nominally-autonomous, semi-democratic Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was the latest escalation in a long war on political opposition.   Read more

The Asean-EU Strategic Partnership's coherence challenge

By Laura Allison-Reumann and Philomena Murray, University of Melbourne

The new ASEAN–EU Strategic Partnership announced on 1 December 2020 marks a turning point in the relationship between the two regional organisations — not only has the donor–recipient dynamic of previous decades disappeared, but now the European Union may need ASEAN more than ASEAN needs the European Union.   Read more

Is plurilateralism making the WTO an institutional zombie?

By Naoise McDonagh

The World Trade Organisation's (WTO) 2014 Trade Facilitation Agreement is the only significant multilateral agreement it has concluded since its inception in 1995.   Read more

Polish democracy in the crosshairs

By Adam Michnik

There has been nothing like it before in Poland.   Read more

How China is bending the rules in the South China Sea

By Oriana Skylar Mastro

Beijing's misapplication of international law in the disputed waters is more complex than it seems on the surface.  Read more

The five-domains update

By Elena Yi-Ching Ho, Hillary Mansour, Khwezi Nkwanyana and Matthew Page

A new law passed by China allows its coastguard to fire at foreign vessels within its waters, potentially setting the stage for armed clashes between China and nations that have competing claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam has condemned the new law, while the Philippines has labelled it a ‘verbal threat of war’.    Read more

The Donbass conflict; Waiting for escalation

By Nikola Mikovic

The forgotten war involving Ukraine and Russia in the energy-rich region is simmering still.  Read more

Museveni has failed to win over young, urban Ugandans: why he's running out of options

By Tom Goodfellow and Paul Isolo Mukwaya

Yoweri Museveni has claimed victory in Uganda's recent elections, potentially extending his presidentail rule to 41 years.   Read more

Filling the gaps in ASEAN and EU cybercrime cooperation

By Eugenio Benincasa

The two regional bodies are teaming up to counter cybersecurity threats, but it's no simple task.  Read more

Syrian stasis

By Rodger Shanahan

Washington isn't likely to pay much attention to the Syria conflict - and nothing much will change.  Read more

Making sense of Myanmar's coup

By Mikael Gravers

Early in the morning on 1 February 2021, the Myanmar armed forces (Tatmadaw) arrested President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other high-ranking National League for Democracy (NLD) members.  Read more

Niger's democratic transition is good news, but the threat of insurgency remains high

By Olayinka Ajala

Despite the twin problems – poverty and insecurity – that have faced Niger in the past few decades, President Mahamadou Issoufou successfully completed his two-term tenure.   Read more

Australia's Pacific Step-up and the Quad

By Eerishika Pankaj

The four nations should take the chance to draw together a group of common initiatives in the Pacific islands region.   Read more

Japan under Suga: The delicate balancing act

By Alexi Heazle

The PM just satisfy more hawkish views on China at home, as well as Washington's expectations of greater burden-sharing.  Read more

How Mr Biden might deal with the North Korea problem

By Editorial Board, ANU

From 5 to 12 January 2021, North Korea held its 8th Congress of Workers' Party of Korea, the second time such a meeting has been held under Kim Jong-un's leadership and only the third time since 1980.   Read more

Advancing the US-Indonesia defence relationship

By Evan Laksmana

There has been a flurry of high-level security engagements between the United States and Indonesia in recent months.   Read more

The 2020 US Election, Biden Presidency and Implications for New Zealand to Navigate Between Big Powers

By Manqing Cheng

The long-term pain caused by the 2020 presidential election to American society, politics, and economy is another milestone in the decades-long collapse of American neoliberalism, financialized capitalism and the consequent decline of the US influence in the world.   Read more

Why New Zealand is ideally placed to broker a truce between China and the Five Eyes Alliance

By Alexander Gillespie

With tension escalating between China and members of the Five Eyes security alliance, most recently over a Chinese tweet that used a doctored image to attack Australia, New Zealand is arguably in a prime position to broker a kind of truce.  Read more

Whoever wins the US election, human rights in Southeast Asia are losing

By Yohanes Sulaiman

While the result of the United States presidential election remains hanging in the balance, it seems Vice President Joe Biden will prevail and replace President Donald Trump next year.  Read more

Australia's trade war with China is unwinnable for both countries

By Shiro Armstrong

China has unleased a range of trade sanctions on Australia.  Read more

The fallout of assassinating Mohsen Fakhrizadeh

By Bob Bowker

The killing of the head of the Iranian nuclear program may make it even harder to revive the nuclear deal.   Read more

Why RCEP is a big deal

By Eduardo Pedrosa, and Christopher Findlay

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade deal signed on 15 November is important to both its members and globally.  Read more

A Biden presidency and US-Russia relations

By Ian Hill

The new US administration will certainly push back harder on the Kremlin, but there may also be chances for engagement.   Read more

How Taiwan can help its Pacific partners get through the pandemic

By Norah M. Huang

As the Covid-19 crisis wears on, the challenges facing Taiwan and its partners in assisting Pacific island countries are more complex than in usual times.   Read more

The future Biden administration facing the Iranian nuclear issue

By Elena Aoun and Jeremy Dieudonne

Four years of anti-Iranian obsession come to an end with the arrival of Joe Biden in the White House. In fact, Donald Trump and his team, almost completely aligned with Israeli Likud, have never ceased to demonize Iran, repudiating the Iran nuclear deal and compromising any chance of a peaceful outcome in the disputes between Washington to Tehran.   Read more

Growing ties between Indonesia and China may hurt US-Indonesia relationship

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

Despite growing anti-China sentiments in Indonesia and the two countries’ unresolved conflicts over the South China Sea, co-operation between the world’s largest exporter and Southeast Asia’s largest economy is set to grow following a meeting of their senior ministers this month.  Read more

The G20's existential crisis

By Erin Watson-Lynn

The group's expanded mandate, including into women's empowerment, puts its relevance and its values under a microscope.  Read more

RCEP revives the art of the deal

By Dick Grant

A regional development might actually be a small step towards something even greater.  Read more

With the US still absent, Asia and Europe double down on multilateralism

By Yves Tiberghien

November 2020 will be remembered as a moment in history of striking contrasts:  the United States torn by an internal battle over its future and the rest of the world embracing new multilateral initiatives on pandemics, trade and climate innovation.   Read more

A backlash against the Women, Peac and Security agenda?

By Patricia Salas Sanchez, Nuri Widiastuti Veronika, Irine Hiraswari, Gayatri and Jacqui True

Power politics overshadwo progress at the UN Security Council as Resolution 1325 celebrates its 20th anniversary.  Read more

Coming soon: A neutral South Korea?

By Jeffrey Robertson

South Korea has transformed drastically over the last 20 years, and strategic change on the peninsula will be via Seoul.  Read more

Government must take cyber threat to democracy seriously

By Tim Watts

With voting underway in the US, the eyes of the world are focused on America's democratic process.  Read more

A Reconstituted ISIS Surfaces in Syria

By William Gourlay and Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

The knock-out punch was never delivered in the international campaign against Islamic State.  Now it is emerging from the Syrian desert to fight on.  Read more

A Biden presidency might be better for NZ, but the big foreign policy challenges won't disappear with Trump

By Alexander Gillespie

The presidency of Donald Trump has been challenging for New Zealand's foreign policy.    Read more

Traditional skills help people on the tourism-deprived Pacific Islands survive the pandemic

By Regina Scheyvens and Apisalome Movono

Tourism in the South Pacific has been hit hard by COVID-19 border closures with thousands of people out of work. Read more

Biden's plan to revive Iran talks could calm the Middle East - but on Israel he and Trump largely agree

By Muqtdar Khan

When the Taliban recently voiced its hope that Donald Trump would win a second term because he would withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, it was a reminder that the 2020 U.S. election has big implications for the Middle East - and, by consequence, for American national security.   Read more

Indonesia & NZ: Foreign Relations under Covid

By Natasha Hamilton-Hart

Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest country: an archipelago of thousands of islands with a population of over 260 million.   Read more

Whether Trump or Biden wins the election, America's Indo-Pacific strategy is about to change

By Walter Lohman

Washington's approach to the Indo-Pacific will change over the next four years, regardless of the outcome of the November election.   Read more

Asia won't beat COVID-19 without international money

By Adam Trigs

AUD$2.5 trillion (US$1.8 trillion) — that’s how much Asia’s developing economies have spent so far in combating the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Read more

Diplomacy after Covid: No looking back

By Jeffrey Robertson

This will not be the last year the world gathers in a virtual meeting - just think beyond Zoom as the platform.   Read more

Russia's troubled periphery

By Ian Hill

The outwardly "sudden" upheaval in a host of former Soviet states is actually a case of unfinished business.  Read more

The UN at 75: Redundant or Still Relevant?

By Stephen Hoadley

The United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco on 26 June 1945 and came into effect on 24 October 1945.  Read more

Migrant caravans restart as pandemic deepens the humanitarian crisis at the US-Mexico border

By Katrina Burgess

Members of a U.S.-bound migrant caravan from Honduras have been detained in Guatemala and deported before they could reach Mexico.   Read more

Europe's double bind

By Mark Leonard

Covid-19 has made a mockery of the world’s great powers.   Read more

Azerbaijan's ultimatum on Nagorno-Karabakh leaves little room for de-escalation

By Connor Dilleen

On 4 October, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev delivered a televised speech on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh that was heavy in inflammatory rhetoric but also represented a clear statement on Baku’s objectives.   Read more

South Korea paves the way for an eco-friendly Asia

By Jackson Ewing and Minyoung Shin

In a 7 September speech for the International Day for Clean Air, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called climate change ‘the most important problem in our generation’ and announced that the country would shut down 30 coal power plants by 2034.   Read more

A Quad of consequence: Balancing values and strategy

By Titli Basu

The four-way gathering in Tokyo offers a chance to set out a vision for regional stability in the post-Covid order.  Read more

Global trade policy at a lull, but for how long?

By Dick Grant

With economies and trade meetings cut down by Covid-19, and political uncertainty in the air, we're at a standstill.  Read more

The multilateral system: use if, or lose it

By the Editorial Board, ANU

Asia’s businesses and households rely on a global system of rules and institutions to do business overseas. That global system is under attack, and Asian governments are yet to mobilise to stop it.   Read more

Covid-19 exposes gaps in South Korea's social security system

By Jae-Jin Yang

South Korea has experienced three economic crises since its democratisation in 1987: the Asian financial crisis (1997–1999), the global financial crisis (2008–2009) and the current COVID-19 economic crisis.  Read more

Why foreign countries are scrambling to set up bases in Africa

By Theo Neethling

Recent media reports claim that a covert Kenyan paramilitary team is responsible for the unconstitutional killing of terror suspects in nighttime raids.   Read more

Why Uganda has suspended hundreds of refugee aid agencies

By Cristiano D'Orsi

The Ugandan government recently suspended the operations of 208 refugee aid organisations.   Read more

Domestic policies key to the supply chain resilience initiative

By Ken Heydon, LSE

Reports are circulating of a trilateral exploration by Japan, India and Australia of a ‘Supply Chain Resilience Initiative’ (SCRI) seeking to secure supply chains and reduce dependence on China.   Read more

Ginsburg's pendulum

By Erin Hurley

Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a deep faith in America’s capacity for self-correction. Her absence puts it to the test.  Read more

The women, peace and security update

By Tracy Beattie, Hal Crichton-Standish, Daria Impiombato, Alexandra Pascoe and Albert Zhang

A new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies looks at the role of women peacebuilders and peacekeepers in educating local communities on responding to and recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.  Read more

What is Turkey's endgame in Libya?

By Iain MacGillivray

Erdogan’s strategy in Libya is about domestic legitimacy as much as regional projection – but past failures hang heavy.   Read more

How Russia benefited from Belarus's turmoil

By Nikola Mikovic

The “last European dictator” has turned back to the Kremlin after the West imposed sanctions for recent crackdowns.   Read more

Brexit: as the deadline looms, why are negotiations stalling?

By Magdalena Frennhoff Larsen

The UK left the EU on January 31 this year. Yet, the trading relationship between the two parties will not change until January 1 2021, when the transition period agreed by both sides expires.   Read more

Trump's dirty tricks

By Mark Leonard

With November approaching, I’m becoming ever more nervous about the US presidential election.   Read more

China awakens to digital privacy concerns

By Winston Ma

At the US House Judiciary Committee hearing on 29 July, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google CEOs sent a clear message: don’t regulate us or we can’t compete with China. Read more

Why is the "Arab street" so silent on the Israel-UAE deal?

By Lydia Khalil

Barely any outcry marked this latest shift, which probably reflects recognition of facts on the ground.   Read more

US left isolated at UN after bid to reimpose sanctions on Iran - why did it even try?

By Scott Lucas

Mike Pompeo was angry. The US secretary of state stood in the UN headquarters in New York on August 20 and proclaimed a new axis of evil between former American allies – the UK, France and Germany – and the Islamic Republic of Iran.   Read more

Three years too long: The refugee Crisis in Bangladesh

By Anna Bowen

25 August 2020 marks the third year of dispacement for the people of Rakhine State, who continue to see refuge in Bangladesh.   Read more

Australian call for Covid-19 inquiry like Brutus knifing Caesar: China's deputy ambassador

By Jack Norton

China’s deputy ambassador says Australia’s call for an independent inquiry into the origins of Covid-19 was like a knife in the feelings of the Chinese people.   Read more

The status quo on Taiwan and the importance of strategic ambiguity

By Editorial Board, ANU

In June Beijing passed the national security law for Hong Kong, forbidding ‘secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security’.  Read more

Mongolia's bittersweet COVID-19 success

By Charles Krusekopf

Mongolia has achieved notable success in protecting the health of its citizens and preventing the community spread of COVID-19. Read more

Has the coronavirus proved a crisis too far for Europe's far-right outsiders?

By Georgios Samaras

In recent years, far-right political parties in Europe have capitalised on crises to build their support bases.   Read more

Afghanistan's unseen Covid crisis

By Andrew Quilty

In a country familiar with tragedy, the pandemic is met with a dose of nonchalance. But the numbers keep going up.   Read more

The struggle for Belarus

By Slawomir Sierakowski

Belarusian opposition leaders knew beforehand that they would be protesting the falsified result of the presidential election this past weekend, and had already adopted three governing principles.   Read more

Indonesia's garment industry in crisis

By Deasy Pane, Bappenas and Donny Pasaribu, ANU

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing a slowdown in all parts of the world, but its impacts on exporters of textiles and textile products are hitting developing countries hard.   Read more

Chinese dams and the Mekong drought

By Milton Osborne

The environmental impact of China’s dam building upstream is undeniable. The silence from some quarters is surprising.   Read more

US in Southeast Asia: Democracy is (sort of) out, deterrence is in

By William Choong

It would be a stretch for ASEAN members to march to the beat of Mike Pompeo’s democracy drums in confronting China.   Read more

How China lost central and eastern Europe

By Emilian Kavalski

Bulgaria became the most recent country from central and eastern Europe (CEE) to show hostility toward China.   Read more

Why African countries are reluctant to take up COVID-19 debt relief

By Misheck Mutize

A debt service relief package has been approved by some of the world’s biggest lenders for more than 25 African countries.   

Read more

What lies ahead for global value chains in Asia?

Hoe Ee Khor and Suan Yong Foo, AMRO

Against a backdrop of trade tensions, disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and a global recession, global value chains (GVCs) are being tested like never before. This is raising uneasy questions for Asian economies.   Read more

What's the secret to Southeast Asia's covid success stories?

By Dominic Meagher

There is no secret.  

After almost seven months, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to challenge the world, but some places seem to have managed surprisingly well. Thailand has not reported any local transmission for over 60 days.   Read more

Battle for Hong Kong takes on a new shape

By JJ Rose

Squashed by Beijing’s new security law, the pro-democracy movement is going into politics – or going underground.   Read more

Europe, united in recovery - for now

By Alexandre Dayant

A “historic” agreement has buoyed markets and marks a further, albeit temporary, step towards European federalism.   Read more

Free trade between New Zealand and the UK – coming soon?

By Stephen Jacobi

If negotiations beginning this week are successful, New Zealand’s economic relationship with the United Kingdom could be returned to something more open and dynamic, if not completely like things were in a dimly remembered past.   Read more

The semiconductor industry is where politics gets real for Taiwan

By Kate Sullivan-Walker

These tiny strategic products can profoundly change the world as the US and China fight over the brains of electronics.   Read more

Yes, to balance China, let's bring Russia in from the cold

By Matthew Dal Santo

The West’s isolation of Russia has helped Moscow acquiesce in an expanded Chinese presence it would once have resented.   Read more

Kim Jong-un zigs, Kim Yo-jong zags, and how North Korea negotiates

By Khang Vu

A threat, then an olive branch. A provocation, then soothing words. Pyongyang’s pattern has a purpose.   Read more

Not the End of History: Why China Won't Liberalise

By Louis Devine

Predicting the impending liberalisation of China’s authoritarian regime is a popular pastime among some Western analysts. But it’s foolish to assume that China’s political development will mirror the West.   Read more

Building on the modular design of DEPA

By Giridharan Ramasubramanian, ANU

On 12 June 2020, three countries — Chile, New Zealand and Singapore — signed the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), deepening their international cooperation on digital economy issues.   Read more

Persecution in Pandemic

By Dr Natalie Mobini

In recent months, members of Iran’s Bahá’í community have been facing a double threat. Not only is the risk of infections from the coronavirus epidemic gripping their nation, a tide of religious persecution is also rising. Read more 

Chequebook diplomacy in the Pacific: Not just the big fish

By Euan Moyle and Alexandra Dayant

States have many tools at their disposal to gain influence and project power. Some opt for pressure, coercion or force. Others seek to build closer people-to-people relationships that offer reciprocal benefits and greater cooperation. Read more 

Split Opinions on Europe's COVID-19 Recovery Plan

By Colin Chapman 

Europe’s €750 billion (A$1.23 trillion) European Recovery Plan is in deep trouble. Member states have yet to find agreement on how the funds are distributed and on what criteria distribution should be based. Read more 

China’s charmless offensive

By Mark Beeson

Nearly a century ago, Dale Carnegie achieved world renown for his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. I’m not sure if it was ever translated into Mandarin, but I’m guessing that Chinese President Xi Jinping has never read it, either way. Perhaps he should.  Read more

Why don’t we hear about the low number of coronavirus deaths in Central Europe?

By Jan Culik and Mirna Solic

While the English language media gushes over how successful New Zealand has been in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, it has largely failed to report on another part of the world where both infection rates and fatalities remain low. Read more 

COVID-19 : Towards another lost decade in Latin America?

By Elisa Aracil

The International Monetary Fund estimates that Latin America will experience an economic contraction this year equivalent to what happened after the crash of the 29th. Read more 

Asian economies positioned to ride out crisis

By Brad Setser

Social distancing has become the primary tool for protecting public health amid the coronavirus pandemic, and its inevitable impact on economic life has required governments to provide income and support to those who can no longer work, even as spending on public health rises.   Read more

Will Covid-19 temper Pyongyang's belligerence?

By Liang Tuang Nah

The current COVID-19 pandemic could indirectly apply the brakes on North Korea’s belligerent behaviour.   Read more

Japan's triple economic shock

By Sayuri Shirai

Japan's economy has experienced three consecutive shocks over the past year-and-a-half.  Read more

Central Asian nations want to kick-start the BRI - and China is happy

By Raffaello Pantucci

Covid-19 has spurred rumours and local tensions, but economic fortunes of the region are increasingly bound to Beijing.   Read more

New Zealand and China: Contending with words and actions

By Dick Grant

Wellington has a strong history in relations with Beijing, a record that will help in adapting to new complications.   Read more

Vietnam leads ASEAN through Covid-19

By Bich T Tran

COVID-19 is posing serious challenges to ASEAN in 2020. But Vietnam, as ASEAN chair, is trying to make the best of the situation and demonstrate leadership.   Read more

How the coronavirus increases terrorism threats in the developing world

By Nisha Bellinger and Kyle Kattelman

As the coronavirus reaches developing countries in Africa and Asia, the pandemic will have effects beyond public health and economic activity.   Read more

Going local: Lessons from Covid response in Indonesia

By Puji Pujiono, Jess Lees and Jesse McCommon

After recent disasters, policy changes shifted the model of humanitarian aid. The Covid crisis put it to the test.   Read more

How a post-COVID-19 revival could kickstart Africa's free trade area

By Faizel Ismail

The African Continental Free Trade Area was launched two years ago at an African Union (AU) summit in Kigali. It was scheduled to be implemented from 1 July 2020.   Read more

Mapping the cost of the pandemic to women in the Indo-Pacific

By Sara E Davies, Sharman Stone and Jacqui True

A new survey is a wake-up call for governments and organisations to direct urgent funding to women’s peace and security.   Read more

Fight for freedom: new research to map violence in the forgotten conflict in West Papua

By Camellia Webb-Gannon, Jaime Swift, Michael Westaway and Nathan Wright

Indonesia has recently indicated it is considering investigating the killings of hundreds of thousands of people in the 1965 “anti-communist” purge under authoritarian leader Suharto.   Read more

Migration: how Europe is using coronavirus to reinforce its hostile environment in the Mediterranean

By Maurice Stierl

“You have to understand,” Warsan Shire writes in her poem Home, “that no one puts their children in a boat, unless the water is safer than the land.”   Read more

Cybercriminals in the backyard

By Jonathan Lusthaus

There’s a popular perception that cybercrime is an anonymous activity.   Read more

Coronavirus: Another chance to transform the global food trade

By Rhonda Ferguson

For the second time this century, the interdependence of the global food supply is in sharp focus. In the first instance, the economic crisis of 2008 created high food prices and pushed an additional 100 million people toward hunger.   Read more

PNG and Covid-19: The costs of economic stress

By Catherine Wilson

Many people will seek cultural supports, while a few might turn to crime. But this is far from a harbinger for chaos.   Read more

Covid-19 and foreign policy: What's changed, what hasn't

By Dick Grant

Health, climate, migration and foreign investment ­must each contend with the virus. But it’s not all doom and gloom.   Read more

VE day 75 years on: a personal reflection from Warsaw

By Roberto Rabel

The 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender to the Allies is a chance to reflect on the relief brought to the citizens of Europe by the end of World War II - and the scars that stayed with them, Roberto Rabel writes   Read more

How will history judge the global epilogues on two of the world’s greatest challenges?   Read more

The prospects for China's post-Covid-19 economy

By Rowan Callick

Big questions loom around how China can jump-start growth after the coronavirus crisis and the US trade war.   Read more

Regional security measures include hearing diverse women’s voices

By Jane Alver

Diverse women’s voices are often left out of discussions about security in the Pacific.   Read more

The Trump effect on global press freedom

By Mellissa Fung

I had been captive in Afghanistan for about two weeks when the government of my home country, Canada, contacted those attempting to negotiate my release.   Read more

Weaponised Deep Fakes

By Hannah Smith and Katherine Mansted

Fakes are all around us. Academic analysis suggests that they’re difficult to spot without new sensors, software or other specialised equipment, with 1 in 5 photos you see being fraudulent.   Read more

A response to the coronavirus pandemic has stumpred EU leaders

By Colin Chapman FAIIA

With Europe at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brussels has been slow to come to the aid of member states.   Read more

Hong Kong's autonomy, dying in full view

By Keith B Richburg

It may have gone unnoticed as the world continued to deal with the coronavirus pandemic that the Chinese Communist Party has taken the opportunity to effectively kill off Hong Kong’s ‘one country, two systems’ experiment.   Read more

By Trinh Le

Like a Tidal Wave: Coronavirus in Countries Already Facing Development Challenges

By Dr Eleanor Gordon and Dr Samanthi Gunawardana

Countries facing the biggest development challenges are the most vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19.   Read more

Seoul's top-down approach to Pyongyang

By Lauren Richardson

North Korea’s nuclear weapons program remains one of the key challenges to regional security in Asia.   Read more

Saving Southeast Asia from another economic crisis

By Andrea Goldstein and Giulia Ajmone Marsan

The apparent success of China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan in de-escalating the COVID-19 crisis contrasts with experiences in Europe and the United States where casualties have grown rapidly.   Read more

New Zealand: Running the marathon

By Dick Grant

Having started well, there’s a lot to happen yet. And so far this race is not a team event, internationally.   Read more

Trade in time of corona: food security implications

By Stephanie Honey

The pandemic is changing the way that we live, work and do business; the ‘Great Lockdown’ is a jarring juxtaposition against the great unlocking of global markets over the last fifty years.   Read more

The complex consequences of a plunging oil price

By Christian Downie

The cost of planes on runways and cars in garages looks very different with an economics, security, or governance lens.   Read more

The facts about trade in face masks, ventilators and test kits

By John Edwards

Policies that injure global trade in medical products would hurt the US and Western democratic allies more than most.   Read more

What future do airlines have?

Three experts discuss

By Darren Ellis, Jorge Guira, and Roger Tyers

Airlines face an unprecedented international crisis in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.   Read more

Quantum computing has far greater promise than just nuclear security

By Alexander Ratcliffe

Most people have heard about quantum computing and know that it will be revolutionary. Few people, even government representatives, would be able to say exactly why.   Read more

Hit hard, could Covid lead Europe to rethink economic policy?

By Lisa Louis

Airlines could be nationalised, global supply chains severed. Will a once familiar market-led dogma survive the crisis?   Read more

It's the Institutions

By Alexander Thalis and Lewis Jackson

The democracies of the developed world are in the grip of a crisis. The price of failure to embrace institutional reform may be democracy itself.   Read more

Covid-19 response: New Zealand and Singapore launch initiative to ensure free flow of essential goods

By Hon David Parker

New Zealand and Singapore today launched a new trade initiative to ensure supply chain connectivity and the removal of blockages to trade in a list of essential products that includes medicines, medical and surgical equipment.   Read more

Trading our way out of the Covid-19 lockdown

By June Ma, Rohan Pitchford and Rabee Tourky

Protectionism, either within or between countries, is a sure way of achieving a prolonged recession.   Read more

Covid-19 and Pacific Labour

By Murray Ackman and Tautalaaso Taulealo 

Visa extensions keep an essential financial lifeline open – but the challenge to help seasonal workers has only begun.   Read more

Covid-19: Why did global health governance fail?

By Sharhar Hameiri

Despite the existence of a “World Health Organization”, very limited collective capacity had developed previously.   Read more

Privacy amid a pandemic

By Anna Zam 

How much of our personal data should be shared to stop the spread of COVID-19? Lawyer Anna Zam takes a look at what's happening in New Zealand, Australia, and Asia during the pandemic.   Read more

China, Japan and South Korea can marshal a collaborative response to COVID-19 

By Choong Yong Ahny

With the spread of COVID-19 triggering global economic disruptions and threatening a repeat of the 2008 financial market meltdown, it’s time for high East Asian economic performers like China, Japan and South Korea (CJK) to marshal their experience and resources to fight the pandemic.   Read more

Vietnam's War on COVID-19

By Nguyen Khac Giang 

Vietnam has been one of Asia’s most successful nations in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Its first confirmed case was announced on 23 January, at the same time as France.   Read more

Asia after the pandemic

By Nick Bisley

The stabilising force of shared economic interests could be lost after the crisis, leaving the region more dangerous.   Read more

After the lockdown

By Dylan James and David Gawith

As the costs of regulatory responses to COVID 19 mount, we have developed a framework analyzing which measures governments should adopt, when, and for how long.   Read more

COVID-19 is exposing the complexity of connectivity

By Evelyn Goh and Jochen Prantl

Historically, more people have been killed by infectious diseases and pandemics than by deadly conflict. Societies have expended considerable effort strategising, in Clausewitz’s words, the employment of battle to achieve the end of war.   Read more

COVID-19 calls for international economic policy coordination

By Masahiko Takeda, ANU

The COVID-19 outbreak is ravaging the world. The human costs are rising day by day, and its social, financial and economic ramifications are already immense.   Read more

A global call to arms

By Dominic Meagher

For poorer nations, stopping a pandemic might lead to starvation. The world must be ready to help the neighbours.   Read more

Coronavirus support packages will reshape the future economy, and that presents an opportunity

By IIan Noy

Governments across the world have rolled out extensive financial packages to support individuals, businesses and large corporations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.   Read more

COVID-19 is an environmental crisis too

By Nicolas de Sadeleer and Jacques Godfroid

The environment has all but disappeared from political discourse as the world grapples with a pandemic. COVID-19 is seems to be our “payback” for the excesses of globalisation.   Read more

COVID-19 and the 'zoom' to new global value chains

By Christopher Findlay, Fukunari Kimura, and Shandre Thangavelu

COVID-19 has sent shock waves running up and down global value chains (GVCs). Social distancing and high levels of uncertainty have caused a significant drop in demand for goods, with GVCs carrying the economic shock through supplier countries.   Read more

COVID-19 and geopolitics in the Pacific

By Anna Powles and Jose Sousa-Santos 

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Pacific has several frontlines. In addition to health security, a geopolitical front has opened up: China and the contest for influence in the Pacific region. The Pacific is a contested arena between China and US allies such as Australia.  Read more

COVID-19 exposes crack in Pacific regionalism

By Anna Powles and Jose Sousa-Santos

At the time of writing, there are 63 reported cases of COVID-19 in the Pacific. This includes one in Papua New Guinea, three in Fiji, seven in New Caledonia, 23 in French Polynesia, 29 in Guam and suspected cases in Samoa.   Read more

How the climate is benefiting from Covid-19 

By Max Towle

As the coronavirus pandemic sends countries - including New Zealand - into lockdown, there's evidence emerging that the world's climate is dramatically benefiting.   Read more

Covid-19: New Zealand, isolated, yet far from alone

By Dick Grant

The government acted swiftly to lockdown, leaving the economy reeling.  People are supportive - so far.   Read more

COVID-19: Calls for Change

By Colin James

On 26 March, as COVID-19 was pushing countries into defensive lockdown, former Swedish Prime Minister, Carl Bildt, called for a ‘much stronger global mechanism’ than the World Health Organisation to deal with future pandemics.   Read more

Disinformation and coronavirus

By Natasha Kassam

The dilution of information on the internet is currently posing a risk to global health and safety.   Read more  

COVID-19 Has Exacerbated Anti-Globalisation Sentiments

By Roman Darius

Narratives of isolation and self-sufficiency have arisen in attempt to curb the spread of disease. Like the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and the migration crisis of 2015/2016, the Coronavirus pandemic is likely to feature as a catalyst in the shift towards deglobalisation.  Read more

The future ain't what it used to be

By Gordon Peake and Christian Downie

Middle East dispatch: MBS purge, dam dispute, refugees in jeopardy

By Lauren Williams

COVID-19: How Asian countries are dealing with the virus

By Graeme Acton

How are countries around Asia managing the spread of COVID-19? Graeme Acton from the Asia Media Centre rounds up what's been happening.   Read more

The Mistakes That Brought Down Flight 752

By Sirous Amerian

Several key shortcomings in Iran’s defence infrastructure and capability compounded the night Ukrainian Airlines flight 752 was shot down.  While uncertainty since that night has slightly abated, little seems to have changed.   Read more

It is Time to Rethink Our Approach to Nuclear Weapons Policy: A Gendered Perspective

By Rhiannon Corinaldi

The patriarchy and male privilege are dominant features of conventional security policy.  For nuclear disarmament to ever be viable, alternative perspectives must be considered.   Read more

Future of island states: Expert emphasises rule of law at sea

By Christine Rovoi

Solidarity among Pacific nations is key to protecting their maritime, fisheries, and mineral resources in exclusive economic zones (EEZs), says a researcher.   Read more

PNG: Booting Exxon gives Marape a boost - for now

By Bal Kama

The rejection of P'nyang LNG deal signals a new way of doing business, and a shifting landscape for US concerns.  Read more

Trump impeachment: The aftermath

By Erin Hurley

It was clear Senate Republicans would ensure acquittal, but the process put Trump's corruption on full display.  Read more

Despite its Pacific 'step-up', Australia is still not listening to the region, new research shows

By Leanne Smith

The Australian government has spent the past year promoting its “Pacific step-up” as one of the country’s “highest foreign policy priorities”.   Read more

Brexit and the Pacific: Sink or swim?

By Alexandre Dayant

Growing UK presence in the Pacific Islands aims to boost prosperity, but a range of factors could tip the balance.   Read more

Russia and China's Assault on the International Human Rights System

By Geoffrey Roberts

Russia and China have waged a decade-long campaign to dismantle the global human rights order.   Read more

The Ideology of Iran (Part Two)

By Dr Paul G Buchanan

This article is a continuation of Paul Buchanan’s article “Iran As A Strategic Actor.”

Iran’s ideology is driven by a need to defend Shiia Islam, with the goal of being recognised and treated as a key player in the regional political, cultural, economic, and security architecture.    Read more

Iran as a strategic Actor (Part One)

By Dr Paul G Buchanan

In order to understand Iran as a strategic actor, we must first understand the geopolitical, religious, and security concerns behind their actions.   Read more

Forging consensus in the South China Sea

By Michael Nguyen

By backing each other’s claims, a united Southeast Asian front would be difficult for Beijing to divide and conquer.   Read more

The 'new normal' in the South China Sea

By Roberto Rabel

Roberto Rabel recently attended the 11th South China Sea International Conference ‘Cooperation for Regional Security and Development’ in Hanoi, with the support of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.   Read more

Russia makes its presence known in Iran crisis

By Alexey Muraviev

Through military and diplomatic manoeuvres, Russia has signalled its stance on further US intervention in the region.   Read more

The real US-China competition: Competing theories of influence

By Ali Wyne Michael J. Mazarr

Both can be coercive, but the US is in danger of surrendering what is arguably the more sustainable model of influence.   Read more

The impact of accuracy

By Victor Abramowicz

Iran’s demonstration in last’s week strike at US bases will have effects around the world.  Read more

Taiwan voters reject Beijin, but not populism

By Nick Aspinwall

Tsai Ing-wen’s party used fear of Beijing to see off a weak opponent. She’ll have much to prove during her second term.  Read more

India has left RCEP behind, but not its ambition in Southeast Asia

By Mustafa Izzuddin

Withdrawing from a mega-regional trade deal is a setback, but New Delhi has other ways of enhancing regional engagement.   Read more

Best of The Interpreter 2019: The rising climate chorus

The Interpreter

For a world joined by an ideal of united nations, the response to global warming has shown anything but.   Read more

Chart of the week: Global trade through a US-China lens

By Alyssa Leng and Roland Rajah

Two thirds of the world trade more goods with China than the US.  Read more

Middle East protests: Careful what you wish for

By Rodger Shanahan

For all the good intentions and international support, a locl patronage system is the true lodestone on the region.  Read more

Perfect economic storm fuels new protests in Iran

By Sirous Amerian

Even as unrest in Islamic republic cools and Internet is restored, underlying drivers of discontent remain.

Iran on Monday was reeling from 10 days of demonstrations, in which more than 100 protesters are believed to have been killed in cities across the country amid a near-total Internet blackout.  Read more

When price hikes pour fuel on the fire

By Vani Swarupa Murali

The recent protests in Iran illustrate the cost of ignoring the vulnerability of the poor.   Read more

Renewable Energy for Australia’s Security: Integrating Domestic and Foreign Policy

By Xavier Wilks

The relationship between energy policy and national security has been overlooked in discussions of Australian renewable energy policy. The Australian government should invest in renewables to strengthen our security.   Read more

The Hidden Goldmine Behind Sustainable Development

By Jasmine Brinsmead

Since its conception, the sustainable development (SD) concept has been embraced by civil society as an opportunity to salvage the earth without hindering economic prosperity. However, the ideal “sustainable” global economy cannot be completely understood unless it is placed in the context of unequal power relations within the global financial system.   Read more

Transactionalism in International Relations: Turkey's Relations with the European Union

By Ihsan Yilmaz and Galib Bashirov

Despite accession to the EU being one of Turkey’s long-term goals, its strategic gaze has recently shifted from Europe to the Middle East.  Read more

Economic diplomacy: Free trade disputes, WTO appeals, DFAT on China

By Greg Earl

A shortage of judges on the WTO trade court is bringing appeals to a halt, just as trade disputes are on the rise.  Read more

How Dangerous is the South China Sea?

By Dr Huiyun Feng

While territorial disputes in the South China Sea are hotly debated in international relations, they hold relatively little weight in the grand scheme of China’s security concerns.  Read more

Behrouz Boochani: Still in limbo

By Madeline Gleeson

The Kurdish-Iranian journalist left Manus Island after six years, but the bureaucratic hurdles still lie before him.  Read more

World diplomacy stocktake:
A shifting of the ranks

By Bonnie Bley

China has overtaken the US with the largest diplomatic network in the 2019 Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index.  Read more

Vietnam's Refugees and the Slave Trade

By Richard Broinowski AO

The discovery of 39 dead Vietnamese in a lorry in Essex is part of a wider, global network of people-smuggling. This incident also demonstrates the changing motivations of refugees from Vietnam.   Read more

Lebanon Protests: A New Generation Calls for Change

By Dr Vanessa Newby

The Lebanese protests have made significant ground and are sophisticated in nature. However, they also risk opening some of Lebanon’s old historical wounds.   Read more

Killing the Caliph Won’t Kill the Islamic State

By Kiriloi M. Ingram

The recent killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is indeed cause for celebration, however, leadership decapitation does not guarantee total defeat of the organisation. Kiriloi M. Ingram explores the dynamics which impact the potential for Islamic State to survive its current predicament.   Read more

Pacific Conference 2019 - Highlights

By Dr James Kember

In partnership with the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, the Pacific Cooperation Foundation and support from the University of Otago, the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs organised a one-day conference focusing on the influences and challenges facing the Pacific region.  Read more

Brexit: Will a General election Change the Game?

By Colin Chapman, FAIIA

Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party face three significant obstacles in their efforts to be re-elected, though none of these problems rule them out as potential victors.   Read more

Scandals Reveal South Korea's Broken Politics

By Christopher Khatouki

The scandal surrounding South Korea’s short-lived justice minister, Cho Guk, has brought to light the deeper sentiments of ordinary Koreans that only the rich and powerful can succeed. It also raises deeper questions regarding the efficacy of Korean politics and whether the entire political system may be broken.  Read more

11,000 Scientists warn: climate change isn't just about temperature

By Thomas Newsome and William Ripple

Exactly 40 years ago, a small group of scientists met at the world’s first climate conference in Geneva. They raised the alarm about unnerving climate trends.   Read more

Syria and the Shaping of Turkish, Russian and US Interests

By Ian Dudgeon

Despite heavy criticism of Trump and the US for abandoning the Kurdish forces, there are some cautious positives to the situation in Syria.  Read more

Impeachment Will Polarise the US Further, But Will It Dislodge Trump?

By Dr Andrew Gawthorpe

New revelations have emerged at a blistering pace in the Congressional impeachment inquiry.  Trump is unlikely to be removed from office but will emerge with significant political damage.   Read more

(Old) Challenges and (New) Crises in Latin America

By Dr Raul Sanchez Urribari

Recent civil unrest across Latin America is a result of institutional flaws which have consistently plagued the region. This could lead to long-term instability and even the erosion of democracy.   Read more

Navigating Economic Integration amidst US-China Strategic Competition and Rising Uncertainties

By Dr Karen Pitakdumrongkit

Over the past 52 years, ASEAN coined various initiatives which have contributed to regional economic integration. Against the backdrop of rising US-China strategic competition, is the organisation able to help the ASEAN member states further pursue their economic integration?    Read more

Connectivity with Consent: The EU in Eurasia

By Professor Sven Biscop

The search for connectivity is nothing new.  But the EU has realised that competition, not dominance, is the key to connectivity to today's world.    Read more

In the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Cyber Security and Great Power Politics

By Dr Ashok Sharma

Artificial Intelligence and cyber warfare are emerging as key components in great power rivalry. The international community needs to act fast to develop legal and political frameworks that can mitigate their deleterious effects.        Read more

Two Pacific states drop Taiwan for China

By Stephen Hoadley

Two Pacific states last week dramatically switched diplomatic allegiances from Taiwan to China, a shift with possibly wide-ranging implications writes Stephen Hoadley of  the University of Auckland.     Read more