Global Issues
The future isn’t what it used to be
Who’d be a young person? The answer used to be an unambiguous cry of “me”. Nowadays, the response is a bit more half-hearted. Or it is for anyone paying attention, at least. In…
Climate negotiations in a fossil fuel state: What to expect from COP28
The time until the next climate change negotiations get underway in December seems deceptively far away, but in fact countries are already gearing up for the 28th Conference…
AUKUS as Big Science?
Alvin Weinberg, integral contributor to the infamous Manhattan Project, coined the term “Big Science” to describe the large-scale, often multi-nationally funded methods devised to…
The dual-use conundrum
In the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, there has emerged something of an unlikely hero. Known as the TB-2, it is a medium-range reconnaissance and strike drone…
War crimes: The trial of a fallen French war hero and lessons for today
Book review: France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain, by Julian Jackson (Allen Lane 2023)
How might Vladimir Putin ever be tried for war crimes in Ukraine? How would a jury…
Can UNESCO save the Great Barrier Reef?
It’s a long way from the ancient Abu Simbel temples in Egypt to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – literally and figuratively. The former is a majestic collection of giant rock…
Mongolia’s critical role in the global energy transition
Climate change is pushing the world to transition its energy systems at an unprecedented pace. This shift is contingent on a steady supply of minerals and metals critical for the…
Crafting a new loss and damage fund
Extensive droughts affect food and water supplies, severe cyclones ravage communities, and homes become unliveable due to sea level rise – all problems exacerbated by climate…
Empowering women in the Pacific: A collaborative effort to confront online abuse
Technology has brought huge benefits to the Pacific, creating new ways to connect across vast distances. As in other parts of the world, however, it has also brought risks,…
Managing risk: Pandemics and plagues in the age of AI
Once a recurring scourge that blinded, scarred and killed millions, smallpox was eradicated by a painstaking public health effort that saw the last “natural” infection occur in…