Global Issues
Germany’s digital dilemma
In a world increasingly defined by digital transformation, Germany stands as anomaly, resisting the tide of digitisation in the face of global trends.
When I recently stepped…
Crunch time on Rohingya refugees
The Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have long been seen as a major potential source of maritime arrivals for Australia. In recent weeks, there has been an uptick in departures as…
Down or out: The future of fossil fuels at COP28
Asking the CEO of one of the world’s largest oil companies to broker a global agreement to phase out fossil fuels was always going to be a long shot, but as the scheduled final…
Half time at COP28: Reflections from Dubai
The daily commute on Dubai’s metro during this year’s UN climate summit (COP28) offers a strange juxtaposition. There is the expected picture for a climate conference: e-car ads,…
Does the world have any energy left to cope with another war?
It is not often that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gets involved in a national referendum, but that is exactly what recently occurred when South American country Guyana…
The geopolitics of Argentina’s lithium trade
Clean energy transition has emerged as a new frontier in the US-China strategic competition, broadening the scope of the ongoing “chip war” and casting global repercussions…
The Fix: A death in Malta
We’re asking contributors to put together their own collected observations like this one – and as always, if you’ve got an idea to pitch for The Interpreter, drop a line via the…
Indonesia ratifies nuclear weapons ban treaty. Australia should too.
Indonesia’s parliament last month agreed to ratify the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). This is an important political development, and it…
Learning to live in a world without progress
It’s hard not to like Steven Pinker. I’ve never met the celebrated cognitive psychologist and public intellectual, but he’s managed to cheer me up on occasion. Even though that’s…
How to stop any repeat of the Australia-China sonar incident
Soviet warships regularly sparred with Western navies during the Cold War years, conducting close-in ship-to-ship manoeuvres and pointing lasers against their foreign opponents at…