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  • 15 Nov 2022
    • Malaysia
    • Myanmar
    • Human rights
    • Migration
    • United Nations

    Refugees may become victims of Malaysia’s electoral politics

    Max Walden
    The plight of Myanmar Rohingyas exposes Southeast Asia’s disjointed policies and fragile human rights protections.
  • 9 Nov 2022
    • Climate change
    • United Nations

    Climate change: governance on the highway to hell

    Mark Beeson
    If wealthy states can’t agree on compensating the world’s most environmentally ravaged, things are looking grim.
  • 25 Sep 2022
    • Russia
    • Digital Disruption
    • Technology
    • United Nations

    A neck-and-neck election for the future of the internet

    Mercedes Page
    As the war in Ukraine goes from bad to worse, Russia may still win a vote to reshape the net as we know it.
  • 21 Sep 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Climate change
    • United Nations

    Guterres whistles in the wind

    Mark Beeson
    Yes, “our planet is burning”, yet those leaders with the power to act are stubbornly guarding their own little patch.
  • 9 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Human rights
    • United Nations

    Beijing three-step: China denies, deflects and dissembles on Xinjiang

    Michael Clarke
    The UN human rights report has exposed China’s hollow propaganda claims – but won’t stop them.
  • 2 Sep 2022
    • China
    • Human rights
    • United Nations

    A tragedy in Xinjiang, a tragedy for the UN

    Mercedes Page
    A long-delayed report finding human rights abuses – though damning – is a sign of China’s level of influence at the United Nations.
  • 2 Aug 2022
    • Myanmar
    • War Crimes
    • United Nations
    • Human rights

    ASEAN governments need to act on Myanmar

    Elaine Pearson
    The execution of four opposition activists by the junta needs urgent action from governments of all stripes.
  • 1 Aug 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Chinese Foreign Aid
    • United Nations

    Unpacking China’s Global Development Initiative

    Mercedes Page
    Red flags should be flying about Beijing’s latest challenge to the international development agenda.
  • 25 Jul 2022
    • India
    • United Nations
    • Migration
    • International law

    Why India needs a refugee law

    Shivangi Seth
    Adopting international standards will not only benefit people seeking asylum but India’s relations in the neighbourhood.
  • 31 May 2022
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations
    • Australia

    Multilateralism matters again

    Mercedes Page
    The world’s big challenges – and main priorities for Australia – are best tackled by cooperation.
  • 22 Apr 2022
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • International law
    • United Nations
    • War Crimes

    Even Putin is not beyond the law

    Donald R Rothwell
    International and domestic justice systems are working in the background to bring accountability in the war on Ukraine.
  • 6 Apr 2022
    • United Nations
    • China
    • Human rights

    The mysterious missing UN report on human rights abuses in Xinjiang

    Mercedes Page
    Months of stalling over the release of a long-completed investigation raises suspicions about China’s pressure tactics.
  • 14 Mar 2022
    • Sustainability
    • United Nations

    Sustainable catch: navigating global fisheries crime

    Adam Graycar
    For a problem as wide as the ocean, many factors compound the challenge of protecting fish stocks.
  • 8 Mar 2022
    • United Nations
    • Human rights
    • Sex and Gender

    Young feminist leadership is the future of peacebuilding

    Helen Berents , Erika Yague , Shadi Rouhshahbaz
    Feminist leadership coupled with the UN’s Youth, Peace and Security agenda envisions a more just and inclusive peace.
  • 8 Mar 2022
    • United Nations
    • Human rights
    • Sex and Gender

    Sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping: Connecting the dots

    Jasmine Westendorf
    The abuse of women and children must be urgently addressed as a key issue in the hierarchy of harm.
  • 7 Mar 2022
    • Global Issues
    • United Nations
    • Russia
    • Technology
    • International law

    The hypocrisy of Russia’s push for a new global cybercrime treaty

    Mercedes Page
    The same Russia in the middle of invading a neighbour is preaching respect for state sovereignty online.
  • 4 Mar 2022
    • Global Issues
    • United Nations
    • Russia
    • International law
    • Ukraine

    Ukraine: Don’t write off the international order – read and rewrite it

    Fleur Johns , Anastasiya Kotova
    Resistance to Russia’s aggression is being shaped by how decentralised and data-centric global rules have become.
  • 25 Feb 2022
    • Diplomacy
    • United Nations
    • Russia
    • Africa
    • Ukraine

    Why was it left to Kenya to speak up for multilateralism?

    Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo
    Kenya’s UN envoy Martin Kimani was a sensation at an emergency Security Council session—with a message for all nations.
  • 23 Feb 2022
    • War Crimes
    • United Nations
    • Myanmar
    • Human rights
    • International law

    It’s a mistake to allow Myanmar’s junta to appear in Rohingya case

    Adam Simpson , Juliette McIntyre
    Accepting military representatives in the genocide defence serves to lend the coup an undeserved legitimacy.
  • 1 Feb 2022
    • United Nations
    • Afghanistan
    • Human rights

    Oslo talks expose the West’s Taliban dilemma 

    Syed Fazl-e-Haider
    Trusting the fundamentalists to deliver aid would mean ignoring a record of past promises to respect rights.
  • 13 Jan 2022
    • United Nations

    Peace and security are not the same thing

    Shannon Zimmerman
    Adding counter-terrorism tasks to UN peacekeeping mandates will likely make an already difficult job much harder.
  • 2 Dec 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • United Nations
    • North Korea
    • South Korea

    Honouring the dead on the path to Korean peace

    Khang Vu
    Recovering troop remains and negotiating denuclearisation are vital to end-of-war declarations on the Korean peninsula.
  • 23 Nov 2021
    • United Nations
    • Climate change
    • Environment

    Glasgow delivered, but what, exactly?

    Stephen Minas
    Not a miracle, certainly. But hard and messy negotiations secured a commitment to bring the temperature down.
  • 13 Oct 2021
    • Diplomacy
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations
    • Coronavirus

    Zooming out of digital diplomacy

    Jeffrey Robertson
    It’s time to think beyond the videoconference to allow countries to trust again.
  • 10 Aug 2021
    • United Nations
    • Myanmar

    The battle for Myanmar’s seat in the UN General Assembly

    Catherine Renshaw
    An empty chair in New York would be a potent reflection of the situation on the ground in post-coup Myanmar.
  • 2 Jun 2021
    • War Crimes
    • United Nations
    • Human rights

    R2P: An idea whose time never comes

    Catherine Renshaw
    The doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect was meant to stop atrocities. Instead, it has become another empty mantra.
  • 2 Jun 2021
    • United Nations
    • Australia
    • Indonesia

    Troubled waters? Australia-Indonesia maritime boundary in the news

    Bec Strating
    It would not be a good example for the region should Canberra and Jakarta be unable to resolve “technical amendments”.
  • 29 Apr 2021
    • United Nations
    • Myanmar
    • Human rights

    Response to Myanmar coup shows need for UN reform

    Rebecca Barber
    Veto power on the Security Council too often obstructs action in the face of atrocities. Here are some ways around it.
  • 15 Apr 2021
    • United Nations
    • Thailand
    • Human rights

    Thailand’s sweeping associations law courts disaster

    Michael Altman-Lupu  , Matthew Bugher
    Draft legislation to strictly control all kinds of groups could crush civil society and drive out foreign organisations.
  • 15 Feb 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • US Navy
    • United Nations
    • United Kingdom
    • Africa
    • Human rights

    The power of example: America’s presence in Diego Garcia

    Blake Herzinger
    US claims to upholding the rules-based order don’t square with its silence on Mauritian sovereignty in the Chagos.
  • 3 Feb 2021
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Trade
    • Coronavirus
    • Human rights
    • United Nations

    A “beggar-thy-neighbour” approach keeps seafarers stranded

    Sandra Tsui
    Some countries have banned crew rotations. Some have tight limits. A few are open. So a crisis continues.
  • 28 Jan 2021
    • Australia in the World
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • United Nations

    Australia in focus at the UN Human Rights Council

    Shannon Maree Torrens
    Despite Australia’s history of support for human rights, a formal review offers a serious reality check.
  • 15 Dec 2020
    • United Nations
    • Space exploration

    Bringing space law into the 21st century

    Donald R Rothwell
    The international agreements around outer space, which date to the Cold War, are being tested by new space activity.
  • 7 Dec 2020
    • Global Issues
    • Diplomacy
    • United Nations

    Solve generational problems by listening to the youth who’ll live them

    Caitlin Mollica , Helen Berents
    Developing the Youth, Peace and Security agenda in the Asia-Pacific is a chance to ensure lasting change.
  • 10 Nov 2020
    • United States
    • Afghanistan War
    • War Crimes
    • United Nations

    A chance for the US to change its tune on justice

    Shannon Maree Torrens
    Will American hostility to the International Criminal Court, and exception from it, shift under a Biden administration?
  • 5 Nov 2020
    • Diplomacy
    • United Nations
    • Indonesia
    • Russia
    • Human rights
    • Sex and Gender

    A backlash against the Women, Peace and Security agenda?

    Jacqui True , Irine Hiraswari Gayatri , Nuri Widiastuti Veronika , Patricia Salas Sanchez
    Power politics overshadow progress at the UN Security Council as Resolution 1325 celebrates its 20th anniversary.
  • 3 Nov 2020
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations

    Peace Prize to WFP: A win for international cooperation

    Peter McCawley
    The success of the World Food Program shows the global system can work with good leadership and strong support.
  • 2 Nov 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • United Nations

    But what does “rules-based order” mean?

    Ben Scott
    For Australia to shape the future order, it will have to get more specific about what it wants.
  • 2 Nov 2020
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
    • United Nations

    Nuclear Ban Treaty: Wishful thinking over realism

    Andrew O'Neil
    Lacking enforcement mechanisms or a practical path to elimination, the treaty has little chance of being effective.
  • 21 Oct 2020
    • Diplomacy
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations
    • Coronavirus

    Diplomacy after Covid: No looking back

    Jeffrey Robertson
    This will not be the last year the world gathers in a virtual meeting – just think beyond Zoom as the platform.
  • 9 Oct 2020
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations
    • China
    • Climate change

    China’s vision of sovereignty for the next world order

    Bill Hayton
    Beijing’s attitude is clearly one that says big countries matter more than small or middle-size ones.
  • 2 Sep 2020
    • Global Issues
    • United Nations

    Indonesia’s UN Security Council drive for inclusive peace and security

    Jacqui True , Irine Hiraswari Gayatri , Nuri Widiastuti Veronika
    Jakarta is seeking to boost its regional leadership taking up the issue of women’s roles in peacebuilding.
  • 28 Aug 2020
    • Europe
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations
    • Iran

    A diplomatic breakdown over “snapback” tests the UN

    Richard Gowan
    Dispute over a US call for pre-2015 Iran sanctions has pushed the Security Council to its limit. It’s been there before.
  • 14 Aug 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • United Nations
    • Africa

    Diego Garcia: The US has a clear choice

    Jagdish Koonjul
    The Mauritian ambassador to the UN on recognising the country’s sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.
  • 12 Aug 2020
    • South China Sea
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations
    • China

    China is overturning the rules-based order from within

    Malcolm Jorgensen
    By contesting basic principles of international law, China is doing far more damage than is often recognised.
  • 28 Jul 2020
    • Human rights
    • United Nations
    • War Crimes
    • Iran
    • Iraq
    • United States

    UN report on US killing of Iranian commander misses the mark

    Alison Pert
    The drone strike on Qasem Soleimani was unlawful, the report finds, but weak analysis undercuts its conclusion.
  • 17 Jul 2020
    • Syria
    • United Nations
    • China
    • Russia

    The obstacles to Syrian aid

    Rebecca Barber
    Russia and China have used the Security Council to squelch cross-border humanitarian assistance. It’s time for options.
  • 30 Jun 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • United Nations

    Chequebook diplomacy in the Pacific: Not just the big fish

    Alexandre Dayant , Euan Moyle
    Small donors seeking UN Security Council seats are providing more aid to Pacific nations.
  • 30 Jun 2020
    • Asia
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations

    International law takes a step towards Asia

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    With Singapore a venue for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, will more Asian countries use it?
  • 26 Jun 2020
    • United States
    • United Nations
    • United Kingdom
    • Africa

    Finding compromise in the Chagos Islands saga

    David Snoxell
    The US base on Diego Garcia needn’t be an obstacle to a negotiated settlement of a longstanding sovereignty dispute.
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