In the second part of his piece for the Foreign Policy Rethink series, Geoff Raby examines how China is constructing a competing global order and reshaping the institutions that underpin international relations. (more…)
Category: World
-
Tehran demands hundreds of billions in reparations. Guess who will pay?
If Iran succeeds in extracting reparations for the US–Israeli war, it would mark an historic shift in how power and accountability operate in the international system.
(more…) -
The return of great power relations: What can middle powers do? Part 1
As part of the Foreign Policy Rethink series, Geoff Raby examines how Trump’s shift to great power politics is reshaping the global order and forcing middle powers to rethink their strategy. (more…)
-
Study warns of terrifying Atlantic Ocean current collapse
New research shows a critical Atlantic Ocean current system is weakening faster than expected, raising the risk of irreversible climate disruption. (more…)
-
It takes two to make alliances and the US may run away first
As US commitment to alliances wavers, Australia faces urgent questions about its security, independence, and place in a rapidly shifting global order. (more…)
-
As warnings mount over Trump, Cuba pays the price
A renewed US oil embargo on Cuba is deepening hardship on the island, reflecting a long-standing pattern of intervention driven as much by ideology as strategy.
-
You can’t rush peace: the fatal flaws in the US–Iran talks
The collapse of recent US–Iran talks highlights how flawed negotiation design – not just substance – can doom peace efforts from the start.
-
Albanese and Anwar align behind Pope’s call for peace
Australia and Malaysia have signalled support for a diplomatic path through escalating global tensions, backing Pope Leo’s call for peace and restraint.
(more…) -
Cricket has survived every crisis – but this one may be different
Cricket has adapted and survived for centuries, but a new struggle over control – combined with climate pressures – may test the game in ways it has not faced before.
-
From feminism to the manosphere – where to now?
Patricia Edgar reflects on a lifetime shaped by feminism – and asks why, despite its gains, relationships between men and women now feel more fractured than ever.
(more…) -
The Middle East conflict is driven by competing theocracies
The Middle East conflict reflects competing theocratic mindsets in Iran, Israel and the US, where religious conviction is being used to justify violence.
-
The bad, the worse, and the need for glee – Message from the Editor
It has been a week where a number of world ‘leaders’ have exceeded even the lowest of expectations. Clearly the lion in this fight is Donald Trump as Jesus, but there are some other really notable, local contenders. (more…)
-
Insider confirms US worked with Al Qaeda to fight the Syrian government
New insider claims revive long-standing questions about whether US policy in Syria involved working with extremist groups – and what that means for how the war is understood. (more…)
-
Trump has turned the pope into an adversary – and exposed himself
By targeting Pope Leo XIV, Donald Trump has exposed the limits of political power when confronted with a moral authority it cannot silence or absorb. (more…)
-
Italy breaks with Israel as public anger forces a political shift
Italy has suspended military cooperation with Israel after months of mounting public anger. (more…)
-
Iran war: rights and wrongs
International law rulings on Israel’s occupation place clear obligations on all states, yet Australia continues to back US and Israeli military action in Iran. (more…)
-
‘A very dark picture’: IMF warns Trump’s Iran war could unleash global recession
The war on Iran is disrupting energy supplies, fuelling inflation and raising the risk of a global downturn, with the poorest countries set to suffer most. (more…)
-
Indonesia’s rice bowl gets bigger
Indonesia’s claims of rice self-sufficiency clash with import deals, opaque data and the growing political control of the food system. (more…)
-
Voters no longer want managers – they want fighters
Across Western democracies, voters are abandoning consensus politics in favour of leaders willing to fight, name enemies and prosecute a cause – a shift now reshaping both left and right. (more…)
-
Iran debacle is Suez moment for US-Australia alliance
While there is already introspection both in the US and among its allies as to the long-term effects of this crisis on American capabilities and capacities, will Canberra seize the moment to reflect? (more…)
-
Pope Leo reframes the moral language of war
Leo may help break a trend that has dominated American Catholicism – less religion as national glue, more faith as a critique of power. (more…)
-
Orbán out – Hungary votes to end 16 years of rule
Hungary’s election has ended Viktor Orbán’s 16-year grip on power, with voters backing a conservative challenger promising a return to democratic norms and a closer European path.
(more…) -
Closing Afghanistan’s embassy serves no Australian interest
Australia’s decision to close the Afghan Embassy risks aiding the Taliban, undermining diaspora communities, and weakening future diplomatic options in a volatile region.
-
The world acts for oil – but not for human life
Global powers moved quickly to end a war that threatened energy supplies, while years of mass civilian suffering in Gaza has failed to prompt meaningful action. (more…)
-
Pentagon threatened Pope after he condemned Trump’s military attacks
Reports that US officials warned the Vatican to align with Washington highlight growing tensions between military power and moral authority as the Pope continues to speak out against war.
(more…) -
Pope 1, Trump 0 – Message from the Editor
You think things can’t get any worse and then they do! (more…)
-
War talks, danger for peacekeepers, and the ‘great insulation’ – Asian Media Report
Iran prefers Vance as lead negotiator, Indonesia’s Lebanon Blue Helmets ‘targeted’, developing countries seek superpower autonomy, Japanese troops join Philippines’ exercises, power centralised in Vietnam, and alarming loss of forest cover. (more…)
-
Ending Israel’s war on peace
To make lasting peace in the Middle East, the US must end its blank cheque to Israel’s perpetual wars and join with the rest of the world to force Israel to live within its internationally recognised borders of 4 June, 1967.
-
Trump’s war leaves the US diminished and Iran emboldened
The war has strengthened Iran’s strategic position while weakening US alliances, credibility, and influence across the Middle East. (more…)
-
The UAE alliance Australia won’t question
Australia’s deep military and political ties with the UAE expose it to risk while aligning with an autocratic partner. (more…)