The Trump administration’s strategy to engage with Thailand appears to be counterproductive. Trump saved the Thai authoritarians, but has weakened the US-Thailand security alliance amid the rising Chinese influence.

For decades, opposition to abortion and Roe v. Wade has been central to Republican social, political, and legal identity. Following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the future of the Supreme Court will be front and centre in the final weeks of the 2020 presidential election.

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Morrison’s address to the UN, home quarantine for select international arrivals on the horizon, Quad consultations with India, Japan, and the United States, and more.

Russia, not Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko or the EU and the West, holds the key to Belarus’ immediate and medium-term future. It will have the final say on whether he stays in power or not.

The abolition of DFAT’s Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) is a bad decision. This development is made worse by the non-transparent way the decision was made.

Australia is amending its citizenship laws to strip Australian citizenship from dual citizens engaging in terrorism.  Such an act may protect Australians at home, but it offers no solution to global terror threats.

Southeast Asian diplomacy is instinctively promiscuous, not monogamous. The natural multipolarity of the region facilitates this instinct because it maximises room for manoeuvre and the exercise of agency.

Also discussed in the Australia in the World podcast: trilateral gatherings, the new Japanese prime minister, and Thai protests. 

Human traffickers swiftly adapted to border closures and other measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, victims have been exposed to further exploitation, with access to essential services restricted.

The Sino-India bilateral relationship has been premised on an understanding that the two nations can move forward on other areas of engagement as their border remains "hot" with military activity. Chinese actions are producing the opposite effect of what was intended, and India is now willing to adopt policies with a strong anti-China orientation.