Penny Wong said on ABC radio this morning the 1995 AMS “has been regarded as the high watermark of our relations with Indonesia”. Don’t want to get too caught up in words, but remember this was a secret negotiation with an authoritarian government. It was fragile for this reason.

Labor pledged to prioritise diplomats over politicians for ambassadorial jobs. Then appointed ex pollies to London - twice. The UK High Comm role has never been held by a woman. Nor has Australia’s US ambassador. Some traditions remain unbroken. From me. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Big climate debates in Brazil. Will there be a result that matters? Or is this more talk? What of Australia's hopes to host the great global jamboree next year, COP31? I've drawn together a thread of recent Interpreter articles. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Incredible work - revealing and some sad, too. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...

I aspire to write a headline as worthy. (Also, a really interesting read.) www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

Strong warning from @senatorwong.bsky.social about the risk of a hollowed out United Nations, writing for @lowyinstitute.bsky.social Interpreter. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Add to this list the theft of Weeping Woman from NGV in Melbourne by "The Australian Cultural Terrorists" - culprits never found, although the painting was. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/u...

A friendly reminder that you can get a snazzy new Interpreter Weekly Digest from @LowyInstitute straight to your inbox. Just sign up at the bottom of the homepage. 📨 www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

The problem in defence isn't as much politics as a lack of transparency. And that won't be solved by another parliamentary committee holding secret hearings. A piece from me responding to plans to re-jig oversight for defence matters. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Anthony Albanese gives his first UN speech on Friday week. Will he break from Australia's predictable diplomatic script? My analysis of recent national statements suggests probably not.👉 www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Indonesia removes finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, official says reut.rs/4phHfYQ

We've given the Interpreter Weekly Email Digest a make-over, and it looks schmick. If you're not signed up, you should - 🔗https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter

Daniel Andrews shaking hands with Xi Jinping at China's military parade might be more about thumbing his nose at political enemies back home than grand strategy. My latest for @LowyInstitute on former politicians playing "private statesman". www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

A Minister of AUKUS? Or ambassador at least? Interesting debating point in this Marise Payne, Jim Mattis et al essay. First reaction is how would it resolve challenges in authority lines with rest of Defence - already complaints AUKUS is an extra service. www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

It’s not all about Trump and tariffs. India and China had taken steps toward rapprochement from at least October last year when Modi met Xi. And despite the evident fractures in US-India ties now, there is still cooperation.

We were taken into the mountains of Shennongjia in central #China to meet the golden snubbed nosed monkeys which have - for the moment - been saved from extinction... CLICK ON LINK TOO SEE. www.bbc.com/news/article...

As journalists, we love adjectives that grab attention. But do words like "strategic" and "vital" help or hinder understanding? I've had a look at how recent media language around the Quad can overstate what this forum has actually achieved. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

"As the diplomatic whirlwind dies down, the likelihood of a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy seems to be further diminishing." www.bbc.com/news/article...

From "my friend Donald Trump" to questioning "the end of a beautiful friendship" – how did India-US relations deteriorate so dramatically in just 9 months? My latest tracks a month-by-month unravelling through the headlines that tell the story. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

“‘In Trump-Modi standoff, ‘egos’ and missteps fuel resentment’ – Washington Post,” writes Daniel Flitton in The Interpreter. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/how-india-us-relations-unravelled-trump-modi-timeline

Penny Wong appoints former Labor MP Michelle O’Byrne as Australia's Ambassador for Gender Equality - follows Stephen Jones to OECD in July, and Keith Pitt (Nationals) to Vatican as politicians-turned-diplomats this year. www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/pen...

Latest tension in South China sea, with US warships now in the area, and a sharp analysis from @richheydarian.bsky.social www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Good look at what is often a vexed debate about this industry. www.reuters.com/business/env...

“The regional game is subtle and layered. Timor-Leste will continue to deal with Myanmar, even more intensively and extensively, especially when it acquires full membership,” writes Flávio Simões in The Interpreter. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/timor-leste-navigating-asean-way

This won’t go down well in Delhi. There is meant to be a Quad summit soon…

You should do this. (bottom of the page) www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

A storm has gathered around AUKUS in recent weeks - excellent media reporting revealing debates about the project and wider defence concerns. Here, I've gathered a @LowyInstitute thread with a range of perspectives on what it all means for Australia. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Should we expect the “don’t deal in hypothetical” response to journalist questions to get a work out - or will the Peter Dutton “inconceivable Australia will not join” answer be offered? www.ft.com/content/41e2...

Penny Wong makes her first political appointment to a diplomatic job in two-and-a-half years, sending former Labor MP Stephen Jones to be Australia's ambassador to OECD. The number of pollies at post is now 3, considerably lower than previous government. www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/pen...

A luxury in my job to spot Anthony Albanese giving a weekend speech about Australia's wartime prime minister and have the foremost biographer of John Curtin write a quick comment for Interpreter offering essential context. Many thanks, John Edwards. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Extraordinary resilience www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

We’re hostage to a handshake. The PMs first meeting with Trump already shaped as awkward - now delayed, opposition is grilling him for plans to see Xi first. Frustratingly for the govt the same questions will persist - “When is the meeting?” 📅 New from me www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Matters - Thai PM suspended www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

What if Australia ditched the "Dollar" for something uniquely ours?💸Today, as Donald Trump warns against challenges to the greenback's dominance and crypto reshapes money itself, could Australia make a statement by revisiting our currency's name? From me. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Some good news, sorta. www.theage.com.au/environment/...

Loved a chance to plug Interpreter authors in the latest @lowyinstitute.bsky.social podcast alongside Sam Roggeveen. We talk Russia’s show trial of Australian Oscar Jenkins, US troops in Korea switch focus from Pyongyang to Beijing, China, Taiwan, CPTPP, and more. open.spotify.com/episode/68eV...

A primer ahead of Shangri-La Dialogue this weekend, my counterpart William Choong from The Fulcrum writes for @lowyinstitute.bsky.social on the twin voices from America - who’s talking, and who is being listened to. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Watching brief. www.rnz.co.nz/internationa...

China shifts from developing world's banker to debt collector, says Lowy Institute - Riley Duke has the numbers. www.reuters.com/world/china/...

By the time you reach the size of Australia's population in this Reuters visualisation of the number of people at India’s Maha Kumbh festival - well, just wow. The scale is incredible. www.reuters.com/graphics/IND...

"unscientific empiricism" - not a phrase I've come across before. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

Koizumi gets the tough gig as Japan's Agriculture Minister in the midst of a rice price spike, after the former minister was forced to resign over comments that he never has to pay for rice. Could be the making or breaking for a scion of Japanese politics. japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/pol...

Is the Indonesia-Australia relationship still underdone? A fascinating comparative analysis by Greg Earl, contrasting Anthony Albanese's measured approach with the bold declarations of his Labor predecessor Paul Keating. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

A second China trip for Albanese. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

With riots since last year, tensions in New Caledonia are yet to be settled. But at least the parties are talking. Denise Fisher urges Australia not to lose sight of the region's most delicate flashpoint, via @lowyinstitute.bsky.social. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

This was a fantastic read!

I spy ISI, “Pakistan’s famous brand” as Abhijnan Rej observes in this fascinating read. Draws out the little known story of the Australian spymaster behind the scenes from the outset. Pleased to feature this perspective on Lowy Institute. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

If you're having trouble keeping up with ceasefire claim and counterclaim between #India and #Pakistan, and what role the United States played, @rushalisaha.bsky.social has a great contextual analysis here. Just published by @lowyinstitute.bsky.social. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

With Vladimir Putin about to turn out the troops in Moscow, Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva explains "What’s really on show with foreign leaders at the Victory Parade". Smart piece. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

India fires missiles into Pakistan following the terrorist attack in Kashmir last month. www.theage.com.au/world/asia/i...