Global Issues

Egypt's opposition: Three scenes from Cairo
 Below are photos taken by journalist Lisa Main in Cairo over recent days of the opposition to presumptive new president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi. We published Lisa's post on the…
False choices in Egypt's presidential election
It goes something like this: over the next two days, Egyptians will elect the former head of the military, Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, as Egypt's new president. His sole challenger,…
Climate change, migration and the importance of the international order
The views expressed here are the author's own and do not reflect those of the Department of Defence or the Australian Government. There is considerable evidence that plants and…
Bases, places and boots on the ground: A review of 'Rebalancing US Forces'
The prologue of Rebalancing US Forces, a new book edited by US Naval War College professors Carnes Lord and Andrew Erickson, opens with Barack Obama's speech in to the Australian…
Four things the Economist did not explain about US 'credibility'
The Economist this week stepped into the widening debate about US credibility, provoked by Obama's caution in the Middle East and (less so) in East Asia. Unfortunately, like so…
South Sudan on the brink: Australia should make the case for intervention
By Gerard McCarthy, a PhD Candidate at ANU's School of International, Political & Strategic Studies, and Charles Martin-Shields, a PhD candidate at George Mason University's…
National Commission of Audit: When you've cut DFAT to the bone…
Every sector is speculating on how it will be hit by next week's federal Budget following the National Commission of Audit's recommendations on cost cutting. As Alex Oliver…
Movie trailer: Godzilla
A new trailer for the Godzilla reboot has just emerged, and it looks pretty awesome: Judging by the trailer, environmentalists should be ecstatic with this one. In fact, maybe…
Why Kevin Rudd won't be the next UN Secretary General
Wherever Kevin Rudd goes, leadership speculation seems to follow. During his time in Australia, it centred on the stewardship of the Australian Labor Party. Now that he is based…
The G20, Commonwealth and la Francophonie walk into a bar, and nobody notices
Earlier this month, the secretariats of the Commonwealth and la Francophonie (the French-based equivalent of the Commonwealth) met with G20 representatives in Washington, DC to…