Global Issues
ASEAN-Australia cooperation in the clean energy transition
A special Interpreter series ahead of the 2024 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, 4-6 March. Read more articles in this thread.
ASEAN and Australia…
Pakistan pulls the data plug
On Sunday, Umar Saif, Pakistan’s Interim Minister for Information Technology – while praising his own performance – wrote a lengthy post on X, the social media platform formerly…
Can South Korea become a global pivotal state?
“South Korea should no longer be confined to the Korean Peninsula but rise to the challenge of being what I have described as a ‘global pivotal state’, one that advances freedom,…
Antarctic diplomacy and the critical role of inspection mechanisms
Traditionally, the international legal framework governing the Antarctic region – the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) – has been insulated from the impact of geopolitical conflict…
You name it! Are country name changes necessary?
From Turkey to Türkiye, Czech Republic to Czechia, FYROM to North Macedonia, and potentially India to Bharat, countries changing names, or at least considering it, seems to be on…
Geopolitics, but what of other Pacific players?
A new Lowy Institute policy brief, Geopolitics in the Pacific Islands: Playing for advantage, by Meg Keen and Alan Tidwell argues for better coordination between Australia, the…
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…