Daniel Flitton

Managing Editor, The Interpreter
Areas of expertise

Australian foreign policy and politics; Australia’s intelligence services; international relations in Asia

Daniel Flitton
Biography
Publications

Daniel Flitton is one of Australia’s most experienced foreign affairs journalists and is now Managing Editor of the Lowy Institute’s international magazine, The Interpreter.

Before joining the Institute, he was diplomatic editor and senior correspondent at The Age in Melbourne and was posted as a political correspondent in the parliament house bureau in Canberra. Daniel previously worked as an analyst for the Office of National Assessments, Australia’s peak intelligence assessment agency. He has held academic positions at the Australian National University and at Deakin University, where he developed a breadth of knowledge on Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific. As a Fulbright scholar in 2004, he researched the Australia–United States alliance at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Australia’s mission in Afghanistan – what was it again?
Australia’s mission in Afghanistan – what was it again?
Nothing can reduce the responsibility of individuals. But the political context for a “forever war” is relevant, too.
The New Biden Administration: A Lowy Institute Collection
Commentary
The New Biden Administration: A Lowy Institute Collection
On this page, we have curated the best publications, conversations and event recordings to help you understand the foreign policy implications of Joe Biden's presidency.
Joe Biden: Big questions and great expectations
Joe Biden: Big questions and great expectations
Will the world be receptive to a US attempt to reassert global leadership after the crassness of Trump’s America First?
The US, not China, is Australia's most difficult relationship
Commentary
The US, not China, is Australia's most difficult relationship
All the talk of “mateship” and ever “deepening ties” in relation to our alliance with the US tends to obscure the competitive nature of foreign policy. Originally published in the…
A Trump legacy?
A Trump legacy?
Trump or Biden, it’s clear there are far bigger foreign policy contests still to be settled.
Shocking abuse of female passengers in Doha demands resolute response
Shocking abuse of female passengers in Doha demands resolute response
Australia’s options to put Qatar on notice start with recalling its ambassador. The next step could go further.
NZ election: From go-it-alone strategy to a more pragmatic approach
Commentary
NZ election: From go-it-alone strategy to a more pragmatic approach
Originally published in The Australian.
Trump gets sick and the media dives into the deep end
Trump gets sick and the media dives into the deep end
The reporting of Trump’s health has quickly fallen into the same polarised pattern of so much of his presidency.
How much did the spies really know about the virus?
How much did the spies really know about the virus?
What was said (and, just as importantly, not said) in Australia hints at early intelligence assessments of Covid-19.
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