Global Issues
ASEAN and the military applications of AI
ASEAN's new Guide on AI Governance and Ethics, released earlier this year, marks a milestone as the region's first coordinated effort to manage the risks of artificial…
UN-ravelling the world of United Nations acronyms
Have you heard of the latest trend in New York City? If you’re in Manhattan, it’s the mysterious Frog Club, an establishment so exclusive that one can only gain access by sending…
What are China’s long-term Antarctic ambitions?
The recent opening of China’s Qinling base, its third permanent Antarctic station, has worried some Australian and American observers. Their concerns suggest it may be time…
Don’t play it by ear: Audio deepfakes in a year of global elections
Artificial intelligence company OpenAI recently introduced Voice Engine, a natural-sounding speech generator that uses text and a 15-second audio sample to create an “emotive and…
Australia’s Southeast Asia trade stumbling block
Australia recently announced the creation of a $2 billion Southeast Asian Financing Facility to increase trade and investment in the region. While this is a good start, to get the…
Myanmar: The junta’s forced conscription of Rohingyas
Six years ago, a calculated “cleansing operation” conducted by the Myanmar Armed Forces and aided by local militias resulted in the expulsion of more than 750,000 Rohingyas from…
Replenishing the Asian Development Bank in the Pacific
In early May, donor governments are expected to unveil new funding commitments for the grant-financing window of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) – the Asian Development Fund…
China and the great global AI governance divide
For all the common global purpose on the need to manage the risks associated with the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence, deep fissures about how to govern this new…
Green transition: Supercharging a sustainable future for the Asia‑Pacific
The Asia-Pacific region, a beacon of economic growth, is projected to contribute an astonishing 60% to global GDP growth by 2024. At the heart of this region’s transformation is…
China’s dominance over critical minerals poses an unacceptable risk
Critical minerals are the world's building blocks for emerging and future technologies. They are essential to manufacturing, clean energy production, semiconductor production, and…