Global Issues
Colourless green content: AI, disinformation and geopolitical risk
“Orwell's goal was not good writing, Orwell's goal was to prevent people from lying.”
In an essay in 1945, George Orwell discussed the relationship between military innovation…
Pandemic democracy
How will Covid-19 affect electoral democracy in Australia and around the world?
The pandemic has starkly revealed two fundamental aspects of successful democracy: the extent of a…
How Russia benefited from Belarus’s turmoil
Mass protests and nationwide strikes in Belarus did not result in the overthrow of President Alexander Lukashenko, but they have pushed the Eastern European country deeper into…
Book Review: The seeds of authoritarianism
Book review: Anne Applebaum, Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism (Doubleday 2020)
If democracy is the guiding light of a civilised world, wherefore that…
Who’s watching the algorithms?
Just like the enigmatic algorithms behind popular social media platforms, facial recognition algorithms are unleashing their own share of social problems. Machine-learning systems…
Indonesia’s UN Security Council drive for inclusive peace and security
Indonesia last month assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council for the second time during its 2019-2020 tenure as a non-permanent member.
Consistent with the country’s…
Covid economic recovery a long-term test for Australian leadership
Although Melbourne’s secondary wave of coronavirus infection has been a significant setback, Australia’s economic recovery from the pandemic is well underway. We must now grapple,…
A diplomatic breakdown over “snapback” tests the UN
After the United States experienced a rebuff at the United Nations last week – with almost the entire membership of the Security Council rejecting its attempt to re-impose UN…
Understanding the full spectrum of hate
What is the relationship between online and offline extremism? What types of data should be examined in order to understand this relationship? What is the full scope of violent…
Economic diplomacy: Spilled milk and foreign wages
Taking one for the team
Spare a thought for Japanese company Kirin, which entered Australia in the vanguard of new ambitions for Asian economic engagement but is now a victim of…