Overview Against the global backdrop of political uncertainty stemming from upcoming US election and the Brexit outcome, countries continue to lift the pace of decarbonisation in energy systems and develop long-term plans for a net zero emissions global economy. This update focuses on progress post-Paris, particularly: Efforts ramp up to decarbonise energy systems: In North...

Executive summary The United States’ presence in the Indo-Asia-Pacific is transforming from a traditional alliance network (of Australia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand) into a web of strengthened alliances, new partnerships and creative linkages. Washington must manage this transformation carefully, so its alliance network maintains a deterrent function and reassures allies, but does...

At first, the TPP promises much. It claims to stand for the interests of workers, all businesses, consumers and the poor. It aims to further integrate 12 economies of the Pacific Rim through trade liberalisation, increasing sustainable growth, building opportunities for businesses and consumers, and establishing social benefits.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a free trade agreement (FTA) that will liberalise trade and investment between 12 Pacific-rim countries: New Zealand, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Viet Nam. As the Depositary of the TPP Agreement, the New Zealand Government has now made the full text...

This paper addresses the question of whether the US rebalance to the Indo-Pacific is good for Australia. It overviews the considerations that drove the policy and identifies the broad strategies being pursued by the US. The paper details the steps being taken to realise the policy and then considers the opportunities and issues for Australia...