Merriden Varrall
The Lowy Institute
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Contact Merriden
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Past articles by Merriden:
Arab Spring a distant memory in Tunisia’s withering elections
The presidential race has brought out a combative range of candidates, prying apart an already divided electorate. → Read More
Temper our optimism: the message from the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Osaka
Overshadowed by US-China tensions, the shared sense of purpose that formed the G20 has almost entirely dissipated. → Read More
How Israeli elections fit – and don’t quite match – global trends
Moderate centrism is out, while increasing nationalism seems to attract votes, even pushing aside a cloud of corruption. → Read More
Do you care about Slovakia? You should
Right-wing populists are meant to be on the March, yet one European presidential election bucked the trend. → Read More
Xi and Trump at G20: A tariff truce
The risk of damage to the global economy is just as real as last week. → Read More
Logic at the wayside at G20
The success of the G20 will rely on leaders to agree in a world where “me first” is privileged over cooperation. → Read More
The challenges facing APEC leaders
A tense geopolitical environment is the backdrop to the upcoming leaders’ summit, with US-China rivalry on display. → Read More
The geopolitics of China’s tax reforms
Any government – even in the People’s Republic – has to be wary about changing income tax rules. → Read More
Belt and Road: China’s biggest brand
The Belt and Road Initiative is foremost a marketing tool, often applied retrospectively, and aimed at a home audience. → Read More
Trump-Kim summit: China smiles
China’s political elite know that this is only the beginning, but have several reasons to be pleased. → Read More
The patchy results of China’s soft power efforts
China is merging departments in a bid to further enhance its cultural influence. → Read More
Understanding China’s approach to aid
A supposed ‘white elephant’ might actually be a source of national pride. → Read More
What the White Paper misses on China
The White Paper's assumption that China can be encouraged to take on a ‘more responsible role’ is ill-founded → Read More
No need to self-censor in the face of China
China has not actually taken any action to prompt Clive Hamilton's Silent Invasion being pulled, except merely exist. → Read More
The 19th Party Congress: Xi's mid-term appraisal
While China under Xi Jinping is going to be challenging for the region, ultimately the Party Congress is about what the leadership is doing for China. → Read More
On North Korea, China’s interests are unchanged
China’s move to close North Korean businesses should not be seen as a shift in approach. → Read More
Beijingers keep calm and carry on
The people of Beijing are the embodiment of flexibility and adaptiveness. → Read More
'You should consider our feelings': for Chinese students the state is an extension of family
Chinese students react with great emotion if they feel China is being criticised. There’s concern that this erodes freedom of speech on Australian campuses → Read More
China sees the West behind Liu Xiaobo
Social media posts by Chinese people around the world suggest the idea that the West has some role in Liu Xiaobo’s downfall has traction. → Read More
How China views the plight of refugees
The Chinese position is that its most valuable contribution to the global humanitarian good is the development and stability of China itself. → Read More