1 Apr 2026
Blocking South Africa from the G7 and G20 carries a wider message to the world
Non-alignment is becoming harder – and costlier – to sustain.
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31 Mar 2026
The spillover from Sudan
Sudan’s civil war has drawn in Gulf states, Russia and the US – but the deeper fault line runs through the Nile. -
20 Mar 2026
China’s $120bn minerals blitz – and what Australia stands to lose
In a world where geopolitical leverage and prosperity accrue to those who process, refine, and manufacture, the window to change course is narrowing. -
18 Feb 2026
The UN budget crisis is a security crisis
The funding shock arrives as conflicts grow more complex, not less. -
9 Feb 2026
Why Australia should look west … to East Africa
Maritime security, critical minerals and digital resilience connect East Africa directly to Australian interests. -
2 Feb 2026
China's security offerings gain traction in Africa
Africa's security marketplace is crowded, but China has an increasingly prominent position. -
5 Dec 2025
Landlocked Africa is an open opportunity for Australia
Rather than compete on aid volumes, Australia could leverage remote logistics expertise as quality partner for major projects. -
4 Dec 2025
Markets have the money, developing countries need the projects – what’s stopping them?
Investors assume developing economies are risky, but evidence shows the opposite. -
2 Dec 2025
One size does not fit all for social media bans
With half its population under 18, Nigeria shows why Australia-style digital bans could stifle democratic activism. -
19 Nov 2025
The G20 faces a test of meaning as major powers stay away
Trump’s attacks and some big absences steal the spotlight from what would be South Africa’s moment. -
5 Nov 2025
Australia’s mineral diplomacy can connect Africa’s resources to Asia’s demand
Deeper engagement would help ensure Indo-Pacific partners are not hostage to China’s industrial dominance. -
30 Oct 2025
Another Quad, with a plan that brings Sudan no closer to peace
The generals have turned away from the West – and went East. -
14 Oct 2025
Outsourcing war: Holding Russia and its African partners accountable for Wagner’s crimes
International law provides clear pathways to attribute Wagner and Africa Corps atrocities to both Russia and the states that hire them. -
26 Sep 2025
Show or substance? The African Union’s G20 test
Under this year’s South African presidency of the global forum, it’s more important than ever for the Union to speak as one. -
15 Sep 2025
Ethiopia’s grand projects fail the human capital test
Despite immense infrastructure success, a neglected education sector risks turning concrete wealth into a hollow monument. -
25 Aug 2025
Congo’s mineral curse fuels US-China rivalry
Boasting about a peace deal is belied by continued suffering on the ground. -
8 Aug 2025
On Sudan: America and China take very different tacks
A civil war in the African republic reveals the limits of moral authority in a world of competing strategic interests. -
7 Aug 2025
How Burkina Faso’s strongman became the Indo-Pacific’s unlikely hero – and other tales of disinformation
Digital disciples are spreading false narratives in an effort to exploit anti-Western sentiment across the region. -
13 Jun 2025
Tigray can’t afford another war, and the world can’t afford to do nothing
Australia should encourage international condemnation after a blockade of relief trucks in the northern regions of Ethiopia. -
11 Jun 2025
Taiwan’s Africa gambit
In a world where power is defined by networks rather than borders, Taipei’s quiet diplomacy is making headway. -
11 Jun 2025
With the G20 summit looming, South Africa wants Trump at the table
Ramaphosa is making a risky bet in a bid to progress an economic and development agenda the US President doesn’t believe in. -
22 May 2025
Why Australia should pay attention to Sudan’s deepening crisis
Brutal conflict has created world’s worst humanitarian disaster, with spillover effects for the Australian diaspora. -
9 Jan 2025
Responsible mining and Australia’s leadership opportunity in Africa
Ensuring environmental, social and governance standards isn’t just good practice – it’s an advantage commercially and in foreign policy. -
6 Jan 2025
Test Cricket’s world cup forgets what’s best about the game
Cricket’s centre of power has long outgrown its colonial roots. -
8 Oct 2024
The UK deal on Diego Garcia is positive, but it won’t reverse declining support for the rules-based order
China and Russia might argue this is just another example of Western countries gaming the system to suit themselves. -
26 Sep 2024
Australia needs to take Africa seriously – really, this time
Substantive engagement with the world’s next powerhouse region won’t carry big cost but will earn major returns. -
24 Sep 2024
India seizes a small chance to make a big difference in Africa’s solar transformation
Decentralised power projects – rather than expensive grid networks – are the focus of a new phase in the International Solar Alliance. -
3 Sep 2024
Australia needs to boost its engagement with Africa, but not for the reasons advocates say we should
Africa’s demographic story won’t necessarily translate to economic opportunities for Australia. But the geopolitical tale matters more. -
9 Aug 2024
Without money, the global biodiversity target is just an empty promise
Beyond social responsibility, funding conservation in developing nations is critical to the global economy. -
4 Jul 2024
South Africa: Strange noises in the cabinet
Some clever politicking has left ANC in the drivers’ seat, and this will direct foreign policy for the BRICS and beyond. -
27 Jun 2024
Aid discrepancies: Australia’s modest help to the Horn of Africa
The optics of such a small aid package against significant need could undermine Australia’s image as a significant player in international humanitarian assistance. -
13 Feb 2024
Russia’s shadow tanker fleet runs into trouble
Every day, millions of barrels of oil are being transported by ships with obscured ownership and origin. But is the game up? -
17 Jan 2024
Australia and Africa: Economic diplomacy is out of sync with investment ties
While other partners are taking care of business, Australia lacks the trade support it needs to thrive. -
18 Sep 2023
Seychelles: Washington comes calling
Small island states are back on the diplomatic agenda with the West looking for strategic depth in the Indian Ocean region. -
4 Sep 2023
Coup d’État in Gabon: Oil, champagne, and China’s geopolitical opportunity
Local dynamics might be a primary cause of strife, but France’s loss is China’s possible gain. -
8 Aug 2023
Shadows of the state: How Wagner Group extends Russian reach in Africa
The mercenary operations sit at the heart of a complex web of geopolitical ambitions, covert operations, and influence peddling. -
4 Aug 2023
Women belong everywhere and this World Cup proves football can be the great equaliser
Respect for female athletes “tearing it up on the pitch” must translate into respect off the field, too. -
21 Jul 2023
Who leads the world as longest in charge of their country?
Put together a list and you can start to see a pattern. -
23 May 2023
It’s time Australia branded Russia’s Wagner Group a terrorist organisation
A record of abuses in conflicts from Ukraine to Africa makes designating the Russian group the right choice. -
4 May 2023
Five potential global consequences of Sudan’s escalating conflict
Even distant Australia could feel knock-on effects of a refugee crisis, gold smuggling and disruption to wheat crops. -
11 Apr 2023
Russia foreign policy: the search for new friends
Shunned by the West, Moscow is wooing the rest of the world. And so far it’s finding success. -
1 Aug 2022
If you had 30 minutes with the PM, what would you ask?
To kick off a new series with foreign envoys in Canberra, I quiz Botswana’s representative about dealing with Australia. -
27 Jun 2022
Insights from Africa as China stumbles in the Pacific
Investment, infrastructure, and influence building – what worked for China before may not again elsewhere. -
25 Feb 2022
Why was it left to Kenya to speak up for multilateralism?
Kenya’s UN envoy Martin Kimani was a sensation at an emergency Security Council session—with a message for all nations. -
14 Feb 2022
The curious case of Blenheim Reef
A coral reef in the middle of the Indian Ocean, owned by no-one, is fast becoming a focus of international controversy. -
9 Feb 2022
Mauritius sets sail to Chagos
The UK faces a lose-lose situation as demonstrators put disputed Indian Ocean archipelago in the spotlight. -
3 Dec 2021
Twenty years of BRICS
As analysis by acronym, it has been a stunning success. But for reorganising global economic governance? -
3 Dec 2021
FOCAC: No mention of controversies while China sticks to a game plan
While largely business as usual, China’s major summit with African leaders did signal some important shifts. -
23 Sep 2021
Africa and the Caribbean, together, seek global bargaining power
Countries so often historically at the mercy of strategic interests wants to shape their collective destiny. -
29 Jul 2021
Africa and Europe rally to contain Islamic insurgency in Mozambique
But it won’t be the end of the story.