16 May 2025: The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs By Dr Adam Bartley — The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs 16 May 2025This week in Australian foreign affairs: Albanese in Jakarta; Albanese to visit Vatican City and Singapore; new investment in Indonesia; Wong marks Russia’s responsibility for downing of Flight MH17, and more. Read More
Creating Negative Peace? What the Data Says About Violence and Terrorism in Kashmir By Dr Garima Sarkar and Dr Soham Das — Analysis 16 May 2025In light of the ongoing military escalation between India and Pakistan, addressing the enduring violence in Kashmir requires a dual strategy. Both countries should adopt initiatives focused on economic development and youth engagement and pair it with efforts to rebuild trust in governance and democratic institutions. Read More
Commercial Space Security Dilemmas By Dr Wendy N. Whitman Cobb — Analysis 16 May 2025There is an arms race developing between the United States and China. But this race is not about kinds of capabilities or the amount of them. Instead, the race centres on supporting and developing indigenous commercial space industries through which each state gains strategic advantages. Read More
India’s MIDWIFE Strategy: Will It Suffice to Counterbalance China? By Professor Patrick Mendis and Professor Antonina Luszczykiewicz-Mendis — Analysis 16 May 2025India’s emerging “MIDWIFE” strategy reflects a calculated response to China’s growing regional assertiveness, balancing autonomy with deepening ties to the United States and Indo-Pacific allies. As China tightens its geopolitical grip, New Delhi is leveraging demography, diplomacy, and defence to quietly shape a multipolar regional order. Read More
Book Review: Africa and Preferential Trade: An Unpredictable Path for Development Reviewed by Dr Lorainne Ferreira — Reading room 14 May 2025Do preferential trade agreements truly help African economies, or do they keep them trapped in a cycle of dependency? In Africa and Preferential Trade: An Unpredictable Path for Development, Richard Mshomba challenges the widely accepted notion that trade preferences foster development, arguing instead that they reinforce economic reliance on external powers. Read More
Australia Needs Strategic Reconfiguration in the Asia Pacific By Dr Arpit Raswant and Dr Jiye Kim — Analysis 14 May 2025Facing mounting pressure from US tariffs and global trade volatility, Australia must urgently realign its economic strategy. Deepening ties with key Asian partners and investing in emerging sectors like space technology could safeguard national prosperity and regional influence. Read More
Canada's Double Referendum Challenge: Alberta and Quebec’s Political Future By Dr Bruce Mabley — Analysis 13 May 2025As Quebec and Alberta edge closer to potential independence referenda, Canada faces a renewed crisis of national unity. Regionalism, fuelled by economic pressures and political alienation, threatens to reshape the federation's future. Read More
The Failure of Middle Power Concerts: A Return to Power Politics? By William Winberg and Professor Stephen Nagy — Analysis 13 May 2025Recent challenges to the free and open international order present an unprecedented need for middle powers to cooperate. Despite this, a prisoner’s dilemma fuelled by seemingly diverging national interests continues to prove detrimental to substantial middle power concerts. Read More
A Fragile Ceasefire between India and Pakistan: Kashmiris Face the Consequences By Dr Leoni Connah — Analysis 12 May 2025As a perilous ceasefire hangs between India and Pakistan, Kashmiris are being caught in the political crossfire. Without a guarantee of long-lasting stability, civilians will bear the brunt of the conflict. Read More
Australia’s Labor Party and China after the Election: Stability Amid Growing Crises By Dr Guangyi Pan — Analysis 12 May 2025With the success of Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party in the election, Australia’s China policy is likely to continue along its current trajectory of cautious stabilisation while preparing for a rise in potential flashpoints. Looking ahead to Albanese’s second term, managing crises to ensure stability is a major task given the foreseeable uncertainties caused by external changes. Read More