This 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.

In 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.

There 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.  

India’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.

Do 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.

Facing 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.

As 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.

Recent 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.

As 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. 

With 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.