The conventional account of why Timor-Leste’s membership of ASEAN is good for regional security goes something like this: Timor-Leste is a young, post-conflict, least-developed country. Membership of ...

Southeast Asian countries were among those most heavily targeted by Donald Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs – now struck down by the US Supreme Court. Paradoxically, however, the region was ...

In this episode, host Lydia Khalil speaks with former US Ambassador and Director-General of ASIO Dennis Richardson and Interpreter Managing Editor Daniel Flitton, about the Five Eyes — the powerful ...

The fifth iteration of our interactive map of the world’s most significant diplomatic networks includes 66 countries or territories in Asia, the G20 and the OECD, visualising how they invest in ...

Get the latest commentary and analysis on international events from experts at the Lowy Institute and around the world. The Interpreter features in-depth analysis & expert commentary on the latest ...

In April, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga became the first foreign leader to meet US President Joe Biden at the White House. Suga’s trip marked the return of leader-level travel to Washington ...

China has the most expansive diplomatic network in the world, closely followed by the United States, the Lowy Institute’s 2024 Global Diplomacy Index has revealed. China has a larger diplomatic ...

During the Melanesian Spearhead Group Leaders’ meeting held in Port Vila in August, Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka advocated the concept of a “zone of peace”. He returned to this theme in ...

Despite years of international policy efforts to bring down the cost of sending money home, fees for overseas workers remitting to Pacific Island countries are among the most expensive in the world.

After months of uncertainty about its future, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week confirmed the near-total gutting of USAID. With some 83 per cent of programs officially cut, the announcement ...

The tale has become accepted diplomatic folklore. In the telling, it was Australia, back in 2008 in the early days of the Rudd government, that decided to scuttle the then-nascent Quadrilateral ...

The ruling coalition in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Gabugan Parti Sarawak (GPS), has been assiduously working since 2018 towards the political goal of establishing the most autonomous state inside ...