21 Aug 2024
Polycrisis in the Pacific: How leaders will respond at the PIF Summit in Tonga
A tiny capital will be host to a huge regional agenda.
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5 Aug 2024
What is China’s role in achieving the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals?
It is time to think more seriously about the increasing relationship between Chinese and dominant international development models. -
19 Jul 2024
Rising tensions over outer space – a new diplomatic hot zone
There is concern over the growing threat of space and counterspace weapon capabilities. -
23 May 2024
Putin’s foot soldier in New York: How Vassily Nebenzia fought on after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Seen as a potential heir apparent to Sergey Lavrov, Vassily Nebenzia is a mysterious but relentless envoy for the Kremlin. -
22 May 2024
No, a pandemic treaty will not usurp Australia’s sovereignty
Damaging disinformation harms negotiations and seeks to obscure the fact that states make their own policy decisions. -
13 May 2024
The cause for China’s coercion in the skies may lay under the water
Better to understand now why Australia might be targeted rather than in the aftermath of a fatal incident. -
10 Apr 2024
UN-ravelling the world of United Nations acronyms
With a lexicon all its own, does a reliance on the alphabet soup pose challenges to transparency and inclusivity? -
5 Apr 2024
Don’t play it by ear: Audio deepfakes in a year of global elections
From robocalls to voice clones, generative AI is allowing malicious actors to spread misinformation with ease. -
13 Mar 2024
Great power ambitions: India’s aim at the UN Security Council
New Delhi is a system-influencing state, with an eye on multi-alignment, but is that enough to secure a permanent seat at the table? -
28 Feb 2024
Can South Korea become a global pivotal state?
With non-permanent member status on the UN Security Council, Seoul has a long list of goals to help make its mark. -
11 Jan 2024
By default not design: the end of the asylum consensus
Ever since Australia adopted the “Pacific Solution”, norm busting has become the norm. -
12 Dec 2023
Down or out: The future of fossil fuels at COP28
Record attendance by oil, coal and gas lobbyists shows how seriously the industry is taking this conference – and the gap remaining to any deal. -
8 Dec 2023
Half time at COP28: Reflections from Dubai
A new loss and damage fund is real progress – but on its own is far from enough. -
7 Dec 2023
Does the world have any energy left to cope with another war?
Talk of conflict between South American countries Venezuela and Guyana has suddenly flared over a longstanding border dispute. -
5 Dec 2023
Indonesia ratifies nuclear weapons ban treaty. Australia should too.
Why does the government remain at odds with the vast majority of its neighbours? -
4 Dec 2023
Learning to live in a world without progress
Optimistic about the trajectory of human society? That’s brave. -
30 Nov 2023
Inside the tangled negotiations for a global plastic treaty
Countries want to end plastic pollution by 2040 but haven’t yet found agreement on a path to the goal. -
23 Nov 2023
Global Goal on Adaptation: Shaping a new framework at COP28
Crafting a common metric might be a negotiator’s nightmare but it’s never been more urgent to help the world's most vulnerable. -
17 Nov 2023
Making space arms control work
After a decades-long deadlock, the past two years have seen a giant leap forward in international negotiations. -
27 Oct 2023
Climate negotiations in a fossil fuel state: What to expect from COP28
Even with outcomes uncertain, there are three big topics likely to dominate the upcoming talks in Dubai. -
20 Oct 2023
Can UNESCO save the Great Barrier Reef?
Climate change is a problem that confounds the original World Heritage model. -
16 Oct 2023
Global South activists seek a human rights framework for the climate crisis
A groundswell movement was evident as leaders gathered at the UN last month to make sure the people most affected are heard. -
10 Oct 2023
Online scams in Southeast Asia create double victims: those targeted and those forced to carry them out
There are those deceived by scams, and those coerced into crime. -
22 Sep 2023
The US–Pacific Islands Partnership, one year on
Recognising that it cannot go it alone, Washington needs to coordinate its development efforts with like-minded partners. -
19 Sep 2023
Global Stocktake: Unlocking trillions for climate action
The Paris Agreement’s assessment of climate policies finds some good news, but massive room for improvement. -
18 Sep 2023
UN General Assembly: Snubs and fragmentation
This year’s meeting will be marked by notable absentees, fuelling a sense that the body’s multilateral power is on the wane. -
30 Aug 2023
Europe’s last war
Remembering the Bosnian conflict of 30 years ago to compare how the world responds to Russia’s war on Ukraine today. -
28 Aug 2023
Australia and the UN: A new agenda for peace
Multilateral responses to the threats of new and emerging tech – from AI warfare to bioweapons – are crucial to success. -
22 Aug 2023
Remember the Rohingya, for disease hasn’t forgotten them
After six years, supposedly temporary camps now resemble slums. How long can the world turn away? -
4 Aug 2023
Archipelago angst: How Indonesia and the US differ on air routes over sea lanes
UNCLOS ambiguity, again. -
19 Jul 2023
Why the Black Sea Grain Initiative must be restored
The collapse of a deal integral to world food security will imperil millions of lives. -
17 Jul 2023
The cost-benefit of turning “dirty” shipping clean
The engines of global trade pump out enormous amounts of carbon and vulnerable Pacific islands are fighting for a change. -
14 Apr 2023
A strategy for engaging for small developing states
If Australia is serious about climate change, it needs better relationships with island nations – near and far. -
9 Feb 2023
With caution and tact: How Asian countries voted on Ukraine at the UN
A resolution forces nations to show their hand. After Russia’s invasion, consistency has not been to everyone’s liking. -
15 Nov 2022
Refugees may become victims of Malaysia’s electoral politics
The plight of Myanmar Rohingyas exposes Southeast Asia’s disjointed policies and fragile human rights protections. -
9 Nov 2022
Climate change: governance on the highway to hell
If wealthy states can’t agree on compensating the world’s most environmentally ravaged, things are looking grim. -
25 Sep 2022
A neck-and-neck election for the future of the internet
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
Guterres whistles in the wind
Yes, “our planet is burning”, yet those leaders with the power to act are stubbornly guarding their own little patch. -
9 Sep 2022
Beijing three-step: China denies, deflects and dissembles on Xinjiang
The UN human rights report has exposed China’s hollow propaganda claims – but won’t stop them. -
2 Sep 2022
A tragedy in Xinjiang, a tragedy for the UN
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
ASEAN governments need to act on Myanmar
The execution of four opposition activists by the junta needs urgent action from governments of all stripes. -
1 Aug 2022
Unpacking China’s Global Development Initiative
Red flags should be flying about Beijing’s latest challenge to the international development agenda. -
25 Jul 2022
Why India needs a refugee law
Adopting international standards will not only benefit people seeking asylum but India’s relations in the neighbourhood. -
31 May 2022
Multilateralism matters again
The world’s big challenges – and main priorities for Australia – are best tackled by cooperation. -
22 Apr 2022
Even Putin is not beyond the law
International and domestic justice systems are working in the background to bring accountability in the war on Ukraine. -
6 Apr 2022
The mysterious missing UN report on human rights abuses in Xinjiang
Months of stalling over the release of a long-completed investigation raises suspicions about China’s pressure tactics. -
14 Mar 2022
Sustainable catch: navigating global fisheries crime
For a problem as wide as the ocean, many factors compound the challenge of protecting fish stocks. -
8 Mar 2022
Young feminist leadership is the future of peacebuilding
Feminist leadership coupled with the UN’s Youth, Peace and Security agenda envisions a more just and inclusive peace. -
8 Mar 2022
Sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping: Connecting the dots
The abuse of women and children must be urgently addressed as a key issue in the hierarchy of harm. -
7 Mar 2022
The hypocrisy of Russia’s push for a new global cybercrime treaty
The same Russia in the middle of invading a neighbour is preaching respect for state sovereignty online.