• Europe holds its breath

    Gianluca Pastori     |      November 2, 2024

    The spectre of a second term for Donald Trump is horrifying enough but whatever its result, the US election may widen rifts between the United States and Europe, given long-standing concerns about trade, defence, and geopolitical cooperation.

  • Smoke and ashes

    Peter Thilly     |      October 24, 2024

    In his new book ”Smoke and Ashes,” Amitav Ghosh takes the reader through a broad, yet deeply personal exploration of opium’s history, its trade and consumption, as well as how it shapes the world we live in today.

  • Virtual solutions to real tourist problems?

    Nansy Kouroupi     |      October 20, 2024

    The internet and the latest digital tools are providing new opportunities and approaches to the sustainable management of tourism.

  • Is “overtourism” a real problem?

    Philipp Wassler     |      October 16, 2024

    The overtourism debate is fraught with extremes, but without scientific measures, it risks becoming a distraction from real global tourism challenges.

  • Even the UN struggles to meet gender parity goals

    Chin Huat Wong     |      October 8, 2024

    Despite calling for greater gender equality around the world, the UN’s leadership is still heavily weighted towards men, with only a fraction of member states appointing female diplomats despite global targets for representation.

  • Healing the divide

    Ian Dudgeon     |      October 7, 2024

    The Australian government has to find ways to help heal the growing domestic disunity caused by the ongoing middle-east conflict.

  • 1923…2024?

    Andrew Bonnell     |      October 5, 2024

    A new book on Hitler’s first attempt to seize power in Germany “offers a powerful reminder that even strong democracies, if they are continually undermined from within, may eventually collapse into authoritarianism.”

  • Iran gambles on war

    Shahram Akbarzadeh     |      October 3, 2024

    Iran has waged war against Israel through proxy terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah for years, but the barrage of missiles it launched directly against Israel will invite massive retaliation, and perhaps threaten the regime itself.

  • Taiwan belongs in the United Nations

    Lin Chia-lung     |      October 3, 2024

    Accepting Taiwan into the United Nations would acknowledge its economic and strategic importance and signal global opposition to Communist China’s plans to invade and annex the thriving island nation.

  • Championing women’s rights in Afghanistan

    Susan Hutchinson     |      October 2, 2024

    Meryl Streep’s speech at the UN General Assembly about the myriad ways the Taliban is rolling back the rights of women in Afghanistan was a powerful reminder that Western withdrawal from the country shouldn’t mean we abandon its people.

  • Israel will forever shine bright

    Benjamin Netanyahu     |      September 29, 2024

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered this defiant speech to the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2024, underlining Israel’s determination to defend itself from those who aim only to destroy it.

  • The inhumanity of human shields

    Alex Bristow     |      September 29, 2024

    Foreign Minister Penny Wong was right to champion a new declaration for the protection of humanitarian personnel at the U.N. but the initiative will only be effective if it tackles the threat posed by Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups who use aid workers and other civilians as human shields.