This week in Australian foreign affairs: pause to the easing of border restrictions, statements on Solomon Islands violence, Dutton’s National Press Club speech, and more.

In an unexpected win, Indonesian labour unions’ protests against new laws corroding workers’ rights have been trounced by the Mahkamah Konstitusi Constitutional Court. But the ruling also threatens the government’s hopes to make the republic a safe place for venture capital.

Recent talk about “appeasement” in Canberra is not due to interest in Neville Chamberlain. It’s about how far Australia will go to confront the CCP and stand up for Taiwanese sovereignty and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Australian leaders must decide how to adeptly navigate tensions with China. Sacred values, those generally not tradeable against pecuniary or operational sustainment, are likely to drive Australian policy on China.

Latin America has been vastly impacted by COVID-19. Will high vaccination rates be enough to curb the effect of the pandemic?

Tensions between Australia and China have been on the rise. Lessons from political history could reveal a pertinent solution.

The migrant crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border has been manufactured by the Belarusian president. The crisis has had far-reaching humanitarian and geopolitical ramifications.

Also discussed in this episode: the speeches made by Peter Dutton and Penny Wong, COP26, and the deployment of Australian troops to Solomon Islands.

Despite the trend of radicalisation decreasing in Indonesia, the possibility of threat remains. Maintaining high levels of cooperation and operational discipline within the police and the armed forces to counter this threat is therefore essential.

Through this collection of interviews, Chomsky highlights many issues facing contemporary society. The book discusses the pandemic and the rise of right-wing populism, with a particular focus on the effects of the Trump presidency.