Global Issues

The underappreciated value of Japanese aid in the Pacific
The underappreciated value of Japanese aid in the Pacific
In the varied debates about influence in the Pacific, rarely does Japan’s position in the region feature prominently. On the off chance that Japan’s presence in the Pacific is…
Poles apart: The long shadow of US-China competition
Poles apart: The long shadow of US-China competition
From trade to cyber, from the South China Sea to outer space, strategic rivalry between the United States and China is shaping the international order. The polar regions seem no…
Can the ICC bring justice to Myanmar?
Can the ICC bring justice to Myanmar?
More than 700,000 men, women, and children, many identifying as Rohingya, crossed the border from Myanmar’s Rakhine State into Bangladesh in 2017, fleeing violence at the hands of…
An educated idealist is still a believer
An educated idealist is still a believer
Book review: The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir, by Samantha Power (Harper Collins 2019) Samantha Power, an Irish immigrant whose tenacity and intellect earned her a place at…
Syria: the disgraceful stain left by the UN Security Council veto
Syria: the disgraceful stain left by the UN Security Council veto
Last week in the United Nations Security Council, Russia and China blocked a resolution that would have demanded an end to fighting in the Syrian province of Idlib, the final…
National identity cannot be separated from the climate of the times
National identity cannot be separated from the climate of the times
Democracy is in trouble. Far from sweeping all before it in an unstoppable historical wave, confidence in democratically elected politicians is collapsing among the young, and…
INTERFET and the defence of Australia
INTERFET and the defence of Australia
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the International Force East Timor (INTERFET), a multinational mission led by Australia to stabilise the country in 1999…
So-called media abundance still leaves blind spots with our neighbours
So-called media abundance still leaves blind spots with our neighbours
A rare image on social media of Indonesian paratroopers dropping into the troubled West Papua province this month was a stark reminder that, even in the age of 24/7 news,…
At sea, safety is just as important as security
At sea, safety is just as important as security
The extraordinary rescue of crew from a stricken South Korean freighter off the US coast this week might have taken place on the other side of the world, but it serves as a…
In Java, the water is running out
In Java, the water is running out
Indonesia’s dry season has never been easy. Dry winds blow from Australia and rainfall is almost nonexistent, which leads to major forest fires, choking air pollution, and searing…