Global Issues
AI will shape our world – even our brains – but it can be regulated
The potential of new and emerging technologies can sometimes feel overwhelming. The pace of technological development means society is constantly on the cusp of emerging issues,…
Glitch in the code: Google, Meta, and the fight over news in Canada and Australia
This year, Canada enacted Bill C.18, The Online News Act. The rather perfunctory name for the legislation belies the massive change it embodies. That law would require digital…
Five reasons why the government mustn’t cool its heels on an “Australian IRA”
In a recent article in the Australian Financial Review, eminent energy economist Professor Frank Jotzo called for Australia to “stay cool, calm and collected” on the…
Commentary
The crucial role for the Green Climate Fund – and why Australia should contribute
Originally published in the Samoa Observer
The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19
The Singapore Strait is experiencing a spike in maritime piracy attacks, with the incidence increasing from 12 attacks in 2019 to 38 in 2022, and an upwards trend continuing into…
The Kalash are under threat from Pakistani Taliban
On the morning of 6 September 2023, the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) launched a massive attack in the Chitral district of Pakistan. More than 500 TTP militants stormed the checkpoints…
Libya’s unlearnable lessons
In the face of some depressingly stiff competition, Libya could be the unluckiest country in the world. Appalling as the current environmentally driven catastrophe may be, it’s…
The US–Pacific Islands Partnership, one year on
Last September, the United States made some big promises to Pacific Island Countries (PICs) at its first ever Pacific Leaders’ Summit. The brief follow-up summit scheduled to take…
How China sees its conflict with the Philippines
Tensions are high again in the South China Sea. While Beijing attempts to tighten its grip on the region with a new ten-dash line, a multi-billion dollar military modernisation…
Pakistan at a crossroads on blasphemy
On 16 August, an enraged mob vandalised and set alight multiple churches and attacked the homes of members of a minority Christian community following an alleged incident of…