Lowy Institute

A reality check for BRICS and the lofty dedollarisation agenda

“We want to do trade with other countries where we pay in digital currencies. It is a necessity for us.” So said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, at the deBlock Summit, ...
Lowy Institute

The G20 faces a test of meaning as major powers stay away

Johannesburg is days away from hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the first time the meeting has been held in Africa. For South Africa, it should be a moment of diplomatic confidence: a chance to ...
Lowy Institute

North Korea and its socialist friends in Southeast Asia

For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic subsided, North Korea has sent a delegation led by Kim Song-nam, director of the international department of the Workers’ Party of Korea, to Southeast ...
Lowy Institute

Filling the gaps: The Southeast Asia Aid Map

Southeast Asia is home to some of the most dynamic and fast‑growing economies in the world. Yet the region continues to face significant development challenges, including poverty, limited access to ...
Lowy Institute

Global macroeconomic consequences of pandemic influenza

In a major new Analysis, Professor Warwick McKibbin and Dr Alexandra Sidorenko explore the implications of a pandemic influenza outbreak on the global economy. Their paper examines a range of ...
Lowy Institute

Sir Frank Lowy AC

Sir Frank Lowy AC founded the Lowy Institute in 2003 and has served as its Chairman since then. He co-founded global shopping centre company Westfield in 1960 and served as its Executive Chairman for ...
Lowy Institute

Stephen Dziedzic

Stephen Dziedzic has covered federal politics, the Pacific, and Australian foreign policy for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He’s currently on leave from the national broadcaster and is ...
Lowy Institute

China’s nine-dash line proves stranger than fiction

Vietnam recently banned the film Uncharted from domestic distribution due to a scene depicting an “illegal image” of China’s infamous “nine-dash line”. This is not the first time popular culture has ...
Lowy Institute

Water woes: Cambodia and Vietnam clash over the Funan Techo Canal

In August 2023, Cambodia sent an official notice to the Mekong River Commission flagging the construction of a new major canal project on the Mekong River. The Mekong, long a source of regional bounty ...
Lowy Institute

Indonesia’s uncertain climb up the nickel value chain

Indonesia has historically had limited success with industrial policy. That may now be changing, with recent interventionist policies targeting the nickel sector suggesting initial success in ...
Lowy Institute

Military hospital ships from China and the US are plying across Pacific Islands. But this growing competition can do more harm than good

China recently announced a mission to send its military hospital ship, Peace Ark, to the Pacific Islands. This is not surprising, given regional head-to-head competition between the United States and ...