Bread, work, freedom

The Taliban barred girls from attending school beyond Grade 6 shortly after retaking Kabul in August 2021 and the systematic oppression of women and girls by the hardline Islamic regime has only increased ever since.

The authoritarian arms trade

China’s reported sale of shoulder-launched missile systems to Iran should be concerning not just to the United States but also to Australia and other major powers in the Indo-Pacific.

Three lessons from the World Cup

Despite a dour final and its fair share of controversy on and off the pitch, the 2026 World Cup has comprehensively underlined the global popular cultural appeal of the beautiful game.

It’s the end of the world as we know it

Over the centuries, political leaders have often invoked fears of decline and collapse, and many of today’s tech moguls and political populists also view the world through a lens of civilisational crisis and impending catastrophe.

Keeping tabs on the Taliban

Since the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of allied troops in August 2021, it has issued more than 100 edicts targeting women and girls, and Australia should raise its latest edict on child marriages with the International Court of Justice.

The rules of power

From Ukraine to the Persian Gulf, the world is at war and Jack Watling provides a step-by-step analysis of how the global rules of power have changed in his new book “Statecraft”.

Asia’s uncertain future

After several decades of unprecedented development, Asia has reached a three-way crossroads according to Nick Bisley’s new book “Asian Crucible: Globalization, Geopolitics and the Contest for the Future”.

Staying power beats firepower

In the wake of the US-Israel war on Iran, the Islamic regime has been materially weakened but appears politically entrenched.

Go your own way

Beijing’s shift away from its post-Mao foreign policy consensus and Washington’s abandonment of the liberal international order have left Canberra exposed. Australia must develop greater resilience and autonomy by building coalitions of like-minded trading states to defend and strengthen the rules-based order.

The gathering storm

Many analysts may say the world is in a new Cold War, but the truth is even worse, according to Odd Arne Westad in his new book, The Coming Storm: Power, Conflict and Warnings from History.

Blood and soil

Dennis Voznesenski’s new book “War and Wheat” examines the complex relationship between grain markets and global conflict, from a historical perspective on Australian markets since WW1 to the current conflict in Ukraine.

Death by a thousand cuts

Australia’s aid budget remains among the lowest in the world according to the latest Official Development Assistance data published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.