Melissa Conley Tyler

Steadying foreign aid budget signals the government takes development seriously

Melissa Conley Tyler

On budget night in 2014, the Abbott government cut nearly $8 billion from Australia’s international development program, the largest-ev..

Foreign policy and the Albanese government’s first 100 days

Melissa Conley Tyler

The government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has just reached 100 days, a time to assess its performance. Looking at foreign policy..

Australia’s shared future with Southeast Asia

Melissa Conley Tyler

Early in July, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong visited Singapore and made a second trip to Indonesia. The week before she was in Vi..

Australia should not overstate the threat of China in the Pacific, and mend relationships in the region

Melissa Conley Tyler

The signing of a security agreement between Solomon Islands and China in April 2022 brought geopolitical competition and militarisation in ..

Imagine it's 2030 and Australia is a renewable energy superpower in Southeast Asia

Melissa Conley Tyler

We are into the final fortnight of the election campaign, and commentators have noted that climate change has been almost invisible. This i..

Diplomacy is essential to a peaceful world, so why did DFAT's funding go backwards in the budget?

Melissa Conley Tyler

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia faces “its most difficult and dangerous security environment” since the se..

Southeast Asia matters to Australia

Melissa Conley Tyler

Southeast Asia has been one of Australia’s highest foreign policy priorities since as early as the 1940s, but it has been difficult to achi..

Australia has not just had a 'diplomacy fail' – it has been devaluing the profession for decades

Melissa Conley Tyler

We are seeing an unusual level of discussion about Australian diplomacy. There’s been harsh criticism – and some degree of embarrassment ..

Coral Bell: the 'accidental academic' who wanted to stop armageddon

Melissa Conley Tyler

This piece is part of a new series in collaboration with the ABC’s Saturday Extra program. Each week, the show will have a “who am I” quiz ..

Can Taiwan rely on Australia when it comes to China? New poll shows most Australians don't want to send the ADF

Melissa Conley Tyler

I have been in Taiwan since April as a visiting fellow. During this time, there are two questions I’ve been consistently asked. What’s happ..