Global Issues
In defence of Aung San Suu Kyi
On 18 October 2023, the Brighton and Hove City Council in the United Kingdom revoked the Freedom of the City awarded to Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi in 2011. Their special…
China has a fifth station in Antarctica
China’s new Antarctic station, Qinling, has been greeted with alarm in several recent articles. Some concern and watchfulness is warranted, but strategic panic is not. Given the…
Kicking up a stink: Europe’s farmers, like those in Australia, are counting costs
The European Union has abandoned a plan to reduce pesticide use by half across the continent by the end of this decade. It follows widespread demonstrations from local farmers in…
Dying to work abroad: Why Nepalese migrants are fighting other people’s wars
Last month, on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement Summit, Nepal appealed to Russia “not to recruit Nepalese nationals into the country’s army and to help repatriate those…
Policy Briefs
Overcoming digital threats to democracy
Using deliberative democracy to enhance trust and legitimacy in digital spaces.
Go big or go home: Australia should invest at scale in Southeast Asia’s energy transition
Australia is looking to lift its engagement with Southeast Asia. Australia’s Special Envoy to ASEAN, Nicholas Moore, last year set out a new economic strategy to deliver on that…
Russia’s shadow tanker fleet runs into trouble
Barring new evasive techniques by Kremlin technocrats, the rapid rise in Russia’s shadow tanker fleet since the Ukraine war may be reversing as pressure is brought to bear on…
Australia’s nuclear energy debate doesn’t have to be partisan
Australia is investing billions of dollars as part of its AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines program. It will take years to be delivered. The enormous cost of this program contrasts…
Non-state actors and the phantom of asymmetry
The sunny days of free-riding are receding. In some form or another, most countries have leeched off American power for the last three decades. The preponderance of US military…
TikTok’s unwanted viral moment shows Singapore-China confusion hasn’t changed
TikTok has shot to prominence for its short – regularly viral – videos. So there was no little irony when the platform also helped to catapult views of a heated exchange last week…