Global Issues
“Lawfare” in the South China Sea disputes
The term “lawfare”, and its etymology in the term warfare, has traditionally been perceived as negative, based on the notion that it meant the misuse of law or legal institutions…
Youth politics in East and Southeast Asia
From the “Milk Tea Alliance”, an online pan-Asian solidarity movement of anti-authoritarian activists, to young politicians pushing progressive causes, youth politics in East and…
Ukraine: This isn’t the information war you were looking for
Dystopias make for popular fare. One needs only look at popular video games to see a common theme: Fallout’s nuclear wasteland, Mass Effect’s alien invasion, or Horizon Zero Dawn…
Changing our view of Pacific visas
Much to the disappointment of Agricultural Minister David Littleproud, in February the Australian Agricultural Visa (“Ag Visa”) was reportedly rejected by Thailand, Philippines,…
Ukraine suffers under realism’s Pyrrhic victory
Thucydides is considered the father of a “realist” approach to the theory and practise of international relations. One of his more celebrated observations was that “the strong do…
What counts for victims of trafficking?
Trafficking in persons is a billion-dollar global industry that seeks anonymity in every aspect of its criminal execution. Yet data related to human trafficking is a rare resource…
The logistical challenge of responding to disaster
The humanitarian community has been challenged by major shocks in the past two years – the Covid-19 pandemic, a military coup in Myanmar, an invasion of Ukraine only the most…
Economic diplomacy: Cryptocurrency (quietly) joins a new world order
Fence-sitting
Right from the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov has walked both sides of the new global divide over digital…
Climate change in the Pacific – what Australia needs to do
Australia has long claimed a special relationship with Pacific island countries as their largest regional trade, investment, security and development partner. But these same…
China’s women “hold up half the sky”
Advocacy for women’s rights is on the rise in China, whether the censors like it or not. And feminism is gathering more support, highlighted in recent weeks across China’s…