• America

    The foreign aid lessons Trump refuses to learn


    Nerida King |  February 16, 2025


    Donald Trump’s capricious destruction of America’s foreign aid programme will damage the USA as much as its recipients, and while the returning American President could learn much from his allies on foreign aid, there’s no sign whatsoever that he’s listening.


  • China

    Softly softly isn’t working working


    Malcolm Davis |  February 16, 2025


    Australia’s timid approach to increasing Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and the Northern Approaches serves only to embolden ever more hostile actions by Bejing.


  • International

    The collapse of the global trade-order


    David Uren |  February 16, 2025


    The rising use of economic coercion is a symptom of an increasingly unstable world that is struggling to contain rise of China and is no longer bound by the norms and institutions established after World War II.


Latest Story

  • How psychologists kick-started AI

    Armita Zarnegar     |      February 3, 2025

    Psychology has played a pivotal role in shaping artificial intelligence, offering insights into human cognition, learning and behaviour that have profoundly influenced AI’s development.

  • Debt and democracy in the Solomon Islands

    Richard Herr     |      February 3, 2025

    Political strife, corruption and a fast-growing population mean a rocky road may lie ahead for the Solomon Islands.

  • AI in advertising

    Ridoan Karim     |      February 3, 2025

    AI is a hammer in search of a nail and its main use may turn out to be – for better or worse – mass produced but personalised advertising.

  • Into the unknown

    Simeon Gilding     |      February 2, 2025

    Amid the shocked reactions this week to the release of the Chinese artificial intelligence model, DeepSeek, the risk we should be most concerned about is the potential for the model to be misused to disrupt critical infrastructure and services.

  • Maintain your brain

    Open Forum     |      February 2, 2025

    A clinical trial has shown an internet-delivered lifestyle intervention can improve cognition score tests in older adults.

  • Don’t panic!

    Jonathan Horner     |      February 2, 2025

    On 27 December last year, astronomers using the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile discovered a small asteroid moving away from Earth. Follow up observations have revealed that the asteroid, 2024 YR4, is on a path that might lead to a collision with our planet on 22 December 2032.

  • Presidentialism is a fly in the ointment of 21st century democracy

    Fergus Neilson     |      February 1, 2025

    A comparison of performance between countries with Presidential, Parliamentary and Hybrid political systems suggests that any constitutional change in Australia should absolutely preserve Parliamentary predominance, and avoid any possibility of electing a president by popular mandate. Follow the German, rather than the American, model.

  • Strengthening NSW’s stand against antisemetic attacks

    Keiran Hardy     |      February 1, 2025

    Antisemitism has no place in Australian society, and changing the law in NSW will send a quick message that the government is taking the ever-growing problem of antisemetic attacks more seriously.

  • The promise, pitfalls, and path forward for AI in clinical assessments

    Amanda Wilson     |      February 1, 2025

    AI can transform nursing education, but only if introduced thoughtfully, responsibly, and in a way that respects the complexity and humanity at the core of the nursing profession.

  • Mea culpa

    William Leben     |      January 31, 2025

    Australian Army analyst William Leben discusses what he got wrong about Australia’s relationship with Papua New Guinea, major military acquisitions, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what can be learned from it.

  • Australia needs a new AI strategy

    Andrew Horton     |      January 31, 2025

    Australia needs a strategic approach to AI that recognises the enormous impact that AI will have on every field, invests in sovereign capabilities, fosters international collaboration, and promotes ethical deployment.

  • What does Putin want?

    Ian Hill     |      January 31, 2025

    Donald Trump has urged Vladimir Putin to end the fighting in Ukraine but a long-term, durable settlement in Ukraine will require Washington and its European allies to face up squarely to Moscow’s more confrontational and expansive ambitions.