The Australian Treasury’s initial purpose was to be a bookkeeper and budget manager for the new commonwealth government.  A couple of decades later, the inadequacy of Treasury in providing meaningful economic policy advice to the government during the Great Depression was a catalyst for the development of a more substantive policy role.

East Asia financial cooperation reaches a milestone on 24 March 2020, which marks the 10th anniversary of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM).  This is an opportunity to consider how regional financial cooperation can be further strengthened.

What explains the enduring role and influence of the armed forces in contemporary Indonesia?  What is the impact of current civil-military relations on Jokowi's second term agenda, particularly on maritime security? With an imbalance of power and unresolved issues from the past, how can Indonesia make the most of its military's capacity and influence in the face of pressing traditional and non traditional security issues?

Iran’s conservatives are being voted back into power. But with the range of challenges Iran faces, including the accelerating spread of Coronavirus, might these have been good elections to lose?

The Syrian Civil War has been a turning point in Turkey’s policy towards its region. Ankara increasingly finds it hard to pursue “multilateralism” to realise its foreign policy goals.

The recent bushfires in Australia were met with an outpouring of support worldwide.  This is unsurprising, given Australia's natural beauty and its willingness to help when regional partners experience natural disasters.

Last month’s deadly riots in Delhi were a state-sponsored pogrom. To prevent an uncontrollable mass tragedy that could destabilise the Asia–Pacific region, friendly governments must speak out now.

The peace agreement between the US and Taliban has multiple uncertainties. Stumbling blocks have stalled the post-agreement agenda and getting over them poses formidable challenges.

Several key shortcomings in Iran's defence infrastructure and capability compounded the night Ukrainian Airlines flight 752 was shot down.  While uncertainty since that night has slightly abated, little seems to have changed.

Though a ceasefire agreement has been reached between Russia and Turkey, tension still pervades the atmosphere in northwest Syria. Throughout this latest escalation,  humanitarian organisations have once again risked their lives to deliver vital emergency response services to meet the immediate needs of millions of Syrians caught up in this catastrophe.