Australia

As US retreats, Australia advances on gender equality
As US retreats, Australia advances on gender equality
The Trump administration has spent a week directing USAID and other government departments to remove any references to gender equality, women’s empowerment and LGBTQIA+ programs…
The old theories don’t fit the new world order
The old theories don’t fit the new world order
In the face of geopolitical confrontation, technologies evolving faster than we can regulate them, populist politics and failing cooperation on climate, we must understand that…
Why, for Australia, Trump’s treatment of Canada is so troubling
Why, for Australia, Trump’s treatment of Canada is so troubling
It’s the “Canada” of it all that makes it so worrisome for Australians, because Australia and Canada are so alike. Canada is safe, likeable, reasonable, wealthy, friendly, Western…
The deadly consequences of disinformation in the Pacific
The deadly consequences of disinformation in the Pacific
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the United States’ health policy may be a well known vaccine sceptic. But for former US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy to lobby…
Where geopolitics and development meet
Where geopolitics and development meet
Some years ago, I found myself taking minutes for a meeting between a senior Papua New Guinean government official, an Australian ex-government-official-turned consultant (my boss…
Australia’s China strategy in an election year
Australia’s China strategy in an election year
With all eyes on US President Trump over the past month, the world’s second superpower quietly slipped from global headlines. Until this week, when China’s DeepSeek unveiled its…
POW law and the plight of Australian Oscar Jenkins in Russia
POW law and the plight of Australian Oscar Jenkins in Russia
The whereabouts and status of Melbourne teacher Oscar Jenkins remain unclear. Reports first surfaced in December that Jenkins, an Australian citizen who had been flighting with…
Revitalising Australia’s out-of-date US alliance
Revitalising Australia’s out-of-date US alliance
Debate about the value of Australia’s 1951 alliance with the United States has long focused on the pledge that the parties “will consult together” and how much this ensures action…
The UN Peacebuilding Commission: What’s in it for Australia?
The UN Peacebuilding Commission: What’s in it for Australia?
Armed conflict affected one in eight people across the world last year, a level not seen since the Second World War. This month, Australia has taken up a seat on the United…
Is DOGE the answer to improving productivity?
Is DOGE the answer to improving productivity?
Incoming US President Donald Trump has asked Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswarmy to establish a “Department of Government Efficiency” – to be known by the acronym DOGE – to “dismantle…