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Published daily by the Lowy Institute

  • 11 hours ago
    • International law
    • Technology

    A first step on the long road to global AI regulation

    José-Miguel Bello y Villarino , Ramona Vijeyarasa , Kimberlee Weatherall
    It didn’t make headlines but the US and EU came together last week to sign an important treaty – leaving partners such as Australia with a choice.
  • 6 Sep 2024
    • Australia
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • International law
    • Transnational Challenges

    Russian sanctions: Why has Australia stayed quiet on reparations?

    Anton Moiseienko
    With strong rule of law credentials and expertise, Canberra should use its advantage in responses to war.
  • 4 Sep 2024
    • Russia
    • Antarctica
    • BRICS
    • Environment
    • International law
    • Sustainability

    Will Russia violate the Antarctic Treaty?

    Sergey Sukhankin
    For Moscow, science has always come second to ideology.
  • 3 Sep 2024
    • China
    • Hong Kong
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • International law

    Hong Kong keeps Russia’s dark fleet afloat

    Selwyn Parker
    Operating under flags of convenience, hundreds of vessels are evading the sanctions meant to stifle movement.
  • 28 Aug 2024
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Migration

    Maid in Australia: When international relations and industrial law collide

    Daniel Flitton
    Two recent court cases have raised uncomfortable questions about diplomatic immunity.
  • 27 Aug 2024
    • Diplomacy
    • Global Issues
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Transnational Challenges

    Hostage diplomacy: Fresh ideas to end a modern blight

    Sean Turnell
    A new Australian senate inquiry into the practice of imprisonment for leverage offer a chance to learn from international experience.
  • 20 Aug 2024
    • Asean
    • Australia and Asia
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • International law

    Australia–ASEAN maritime cooperation: A focus on the whole risks losing sight of the parts

    Thư Nguyễn Hoàng Anh
    Tailored programs accounting for individual country needs will have greater influence.
  • 7 Aug 2024
    • Human rights
    • International law

    The dehumanisation danger

    Terry Hackett
    Language matters and the protections of international law are crucial for persons deprived of liberty.
  • 1 Aug 2024
    • Australia
    • Islamic State
    • International law
    • War Crimes
    • Iraq
    • Syria

    The Yazidi still wait for justice

    Susan Hutchinson
    Australia also has obligations when its citizens are accused of the worst of all crimes.
  • 31 Jul 2024
    • China
    • China's Government
    • Hong Kong
    • Human rights
    • International law

    Long arm of the law: China’s extraterritorial reach

    Danielle Ireland-Piper
    Political as much as legal considerations dictate the way Beijing exercises its laws – from Hong Kong to beyond.
  • 22 Jul 2024
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • International law

    The deadly consequences of misclassifying foreign fighters in Ukraine

    Shannon Bosch
    Russia calls them mercenaries to deny international legal protections. Accountability is essential.
  • 19 Jul 2024
    • China
    • Diplomacy
    • Russia
    • BRICS
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Does democracy still matter in the ‘New Cold War’ between the US and China?

    Sushil Aaron
    Contradictions between the two models of governance make coexistence among superpowers difficult.
  • 19 Jul 2024
    • International law
    • United Nations
    • Space exploration

    Rising tensions over outer space – a new diplomatic hot zone

    Rebecca Connolly
    There is concern over the growing threat of space and counterspace weapon capabilities.
  • 20 Jun 2024
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Maritime Security
    • International law

    Overcoming the deliberate legal ambiguity adopted by China’s coast guard

    Peter Leavy
    A new order is telling of Beijing’s selective and ongoing effort to undermine the law of the sea.
  • 22 May 2024
    • Global Issues
    • Coronavirus
    • International law
    • United Nations

    No, a pandemic treaty will not usurp Australia’s sovereignty

    Alexandra Finch , Lawrence Gostin
    Damaging disinformation harms negotiations and seeks to obscure the fact that states make their own policy decisions.
  • 30 Apr 2024
    • Human rights
    • International law

    The need for a convention on crimes against humanity

    Priya Pillai
    Closing a legal gap would ensure the spirit of the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals is established in international law.
  • 27 Feb 2024
    • Antarctica
    • International law

    Antarctic diplomacy and the critical role of inspection mechanisms

    Jeffrey McGee , Richard Rowe
    The future of the Antarctic Treaty System relies on laws that both foster cooperation and manage tensions.
  • 22 Feb 2024
    • Myanmar
    • Human rights
    • International law

    In defence of Aung San Suu Kyi

    Derek Tonkin
    Many in Myanmar have condemned what they perceive as seriously flawed Western criticism of the Burmese ex-leader.
  • 13 Feb 2024
    • India
    • Laos
    • Russia
    • International law
    • Africa

    Russia’s shadow tanker fleet runs into trouble

    Selwyn Parker
    Every day, millions of barrels of oil are being transported by ships with obscured ownership and origin. But is the game up?
  • 11 Jan 2024
    • Global Issues
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • Migration
    • United Nations

    By default not design: the end of the asylum consensus

    Khalid Koser
    Ever since Australia adopted the “Pacific Solution”, norm busting has become the norm.
  • 21 Dec 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Antarctica
    • Environment
    • International law
    • International Relations
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • Sustainability

    A jurisdiction over the high seas

    Bec Strating
    Australia will be a key player in the new agreement governing the globe’s largest natural habitat.
  • 7 Dec 2023
    • International law
    • United Nations
    • The Americas

    Does the world have any energy left to cope with another war?

    Donald R Rothwell
    Talk of conflict between South American countries Venezuela and Guyana has suddenly flared over a longstanding border dispute.
  • 6 Dec 2023
    • Europe
    • International law
    • Review

    The Fix: A death in Malta

    Jim Nolan
    Uncovering the murky business of corruption and graft too often puts journalists’ lives at risk.
  • 4 Dec 2023
    • Global Issues
    • Climate change
    • International law
    • Transnational Challenges
    • United Nations

    Learning to live in a world without progress

    Mark Beeson
    Optimistic about the trajectory of human society? That’s brave.
  • 4 Dec 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • China's Military
    • South China Sea
    • Southeast Asia
    • Australia
    • Australian Navy
    • Defence & Security
    • International law

    How to stop any repeat of the Australia-China sonar incident

    Collin Koh
    A regional deal to close a loophole relating to the use of sonar in international law could be a good place to start.
  • 2 Oct 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • South China Sea
    • Coronavirus
    • International law
    • Transnational Challenges

    The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19

    Jade Lindley , Dhiyaul Aulia Huda
    Poverty, institutional incapacity and budget cuts fuelled a surge in pandemic piracy. The lessons are many.
  • 20 Sep 2023
    • China
    • Philippines
    • International law

    How China sees its conflict with the Philippines

    Cherry Hitkari
    Taiwan, the ten-dash line, and an ever-present US are driving a wedge between Manila and Beijing.
  • 18 Sep 2023
    • Cambodia
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • War Crimes

    Testimonial therapy: Buddhism’s influence in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge tribunal

    Andre Kwok
    Faith-based interventions and criminal prosecutions can innovatively meet.
  • 6 Sep 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Energy
    • International law

    The sticky case of Indonesia, a seized Iranian oil tanker, and legal jurisdiction

    Dita Liliansa
    An intercepted ship-to-ship transfer raises a series of interlinked questions about sanctions, pollution and the reach of international law.
  • 30 Aug 2023
    • Europe
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • International law
    • United Nations
    • War Crimes

    Europe’s last war

    Ian Kemish
    Remembering the Bosnian conflict of 30 years ago to compare how the world responds to Russia’s war on Ukraine today.
  • 4 Aug 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Maritime Security
    • International law
    • United Nations
    • United States

    Archipelago angst: How Indonesia and the US differ on air routes over sea lanes

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    UNCLOS ambiguity, again.
  • 27 Jul 2023
    • Australia
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Global Issues
    • International law

    Nuclear weapons: “Oppenheimer” won’t make a difference, but Australia can

    Gareth Evans
    The movie missed a chance to galvanise a renewed campaign, to better protect against existential danger than rely on sheer dumb luck.
  • 25 Jul 2023
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • International law

    Cluster munitions: A necessary defensive strategy for Ukraine

    Munira Mustaffa
    It is Russia, not Ukraine, abusing international principles. The law must not obstruct Ukraine to fight back.
  • 18 Jul 2023
    • European Union
    • Digital Disruption
    • International law
    • Technology
    • Transnational Challenges

    Regulating artificial intelligence: How the EU just got us closer

    Melinda Rankin
    In these times of high-tech angst, a new draft Act passed in the European Parliament sets the scene for the future of AI.
  • 6 Jun 2023
    • China
    • Taiwan
    • Defence & Security
    • International law
    • United States

    US-China: A Cold War lesson to apply “rules of the road” at sea

    Donald R Rothwell
    Soviet and American warships had a code to prevent dangerous encounters and the US and China should have the same.
  • 5 Jun 2023
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • International law
    • War Crimes
    • United States

    Lessons from history: Comparing Australia’s response to war crimes with the United States

    Daniel Flitton
    The fallout from the Ben Roberts-Smith case is only the beginning of a reckoning about justice in war.
  • 23 May 2023
    • Australia
    • Terrorism
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • International law
    • War Crimes
    • Africa

    It’s time Australia branded Russia’s Wagner Group a terrorist organisation

    Isabella Currie , Matthew Sussex
    A record of abuses in conflicts from Ukraine to Africa makes designating the Russian group the right choice.
  • 5 Apr 2023
    • Myanmar
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • War Crimes

    What of the Rohingya? The ICC, Ukraine, and limits of “international” justice

    Aakash Chandran , Jennifer Keene-McCann , Emma Palmer
    The International Criminal Court will always be seen as a selective tool unless states agree to decide cases on need.
  • 23 Mar 2023
    • International law
    • Space exploration

    A new battlefield: the need for regulations to govern Near Space

    Rebecca Connolly
    International space agreements do not define “outer space” for the purpose of space activities – and that’s a problem.
  • 21 Mar 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Maritime Security
    • International law

    Could Indonesia legally stop transit by nuclear-powered AUKUS subs?

    Dita Liliansa
    International law includes passage rights for all vessels in archipelagic waters – during peace or wartime.
  • 19 Jan 2023
    • Climate change
    • International law
    • Pacific Islands

    The acid test: legal moves to force action on climate change

    Donald R Rothwell
    Small island states are now adopting a determined strategy of “lawfare” to bring attention to environmental threats.
  • 12 Jan 2023
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • International law
    • War Crimes

    The hard road to justice for Russian war crimes

    Shaun Cameron
    Prosecution of war crimes in Ukraine are crucial to maintain international law and the peace and security it promotes.
  • 3 Nov 2022
    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • International law

    Ashmore Reef resurfaces as a maritime headache

    Donald R Rothwell
    A loose arrangement between Australia and Indonesia over the uninhabited islands is set to become a little less loose.
  • 20 Sep 2022
    • Bangladesh
    • Myanmar
    • Human rights
    • International law

    The Rohingya issue requires a regional solution

    David Brewster
    Leaving close to a million people in limbo poses a danger not only for the refugees but to regional peace.
  • 5 Sep 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Global Economic Governance
    • Digital Disruption
    • International law
    • Technology

    Web3 is coming – with national security implications, too

    Sasha Fegan
    A new internet for the people and by the people is on the horizon. But decentralised power has its own problems.
  • 27 Jul 2022
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • International law
    • Sustainability

    What Vietnam can learn from Thailand’s fight against illegal fishing

    Thư Nguyễn Hoàng Anh
    After being issued a yellow card, Hanoi must look to its neighbours and international laws for the way forward.
  • 25 Jul 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands
    • International law

    Engaging with the Pacific: the legal angle

    Sarah McCosker , Joanne Wallis , Melissa Conley Tyler
    The often complex and transnational legal challenges facing the region are an opportunity to foster cooperation.
  • 25 Jul 2022
    • India
    • United Nations
    • Migration
    • International law

    Why India needs a refugee law

    Shivangi Seth
    Adopting international standards will not only benefit people seeking asylum but India’s relations in the neighbourhood.
  • 17 Jun 2022
    • United Kingdom
    • International law
    • Human rights

    The British Indian Ocean Territory and the rules-based order

    Samuel Bashfield , Elena Katselli Proukaki
    In claiming sovereignty over Chagos, London privileges Western interests. And breaks international law.
  • 9 Jun 2022
    • Global Issues
    • Southeast Asia
    • International law

    Stemming the tide of piracy in Southeast Asia

    Thư Nguyễn Hoàng Anh
    The laws set by the United Nations 40 years ago no longer suit the fight against modern-day crime on the high seas.
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