Citizen diplomacy is reshaping global politics as ordinary individuals take on more active roles in advocating for democratic values and influencing international affairs. Sparked by Barack Obama’s call to action, this movement challenges traditional state-centric diplomacy and demands greater accountability from political leaders.

Sexual violence in conflict zones is systematically employed as a military strategy, yet global institutions fail to address it. Urgent reforms must be initiated to ensure accountability for perpetrators, the prioritisation of women’s rights, and robust support for survivors. 

Resisting colonial betrayal following Papua New Guinea's independence, Torres Strait Islanders were integral to the bilateral Australia-Papua New Guinea Torres Strait Treaty. On the treaty's 40th anniversary, why is this ignored?

Global events such as the election of Donald Trump in America and the popular rise of the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party in Germany have shown that democracies around the world are experiencing democratic backsliding. In an era where even Australia’s democratic system faces significant challenges, democratic security presents a fresh security lens with which democratic decline can be explained, targeted, and resisted.  

What if an unpredictable leader chose to block Australian access to ChatGPT? Or if the owner of a […]

Negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine is a formidable challenge as the war enters its fourth […]

The 2024 Nauru-Australia Treaty focuses more on Australia's own strategic objectives than helping Nauru develop sustainably. Nauru's attempts to raise funds have led to significant issues, emphasising the need for cooperative solutions rather than exclusively self-focused strategies.

In the beginning, there was the state—conceived in masculine metaphor. The nation as father, as protector, as sovereign force. This gendering of political power was no accident but deliberate architecture, adding into the collective consciousness the notion that governance belongs naturally to the man, and that diplomacy speaks in a masculine voice. Five centuries ago, Machiavelli sketched political power in The Prince, imagining the state as a body requiring a centralised force, but also suggested that we practice politics every day. Marching into Women’s Month, we are faced with a chance to celebrate and hone The Woman.

Europe faces an undeniable shift in its security landscape. While NATO remains crucial, increasing European defence spending and calls for greater autonomy from significant EU leaders signal a shift toward a more self-sufficient security framework. The EU has evolved from an economic organisation at its conception into a political organisation, it could evolve again to include a military organisation.

The semiconductor dynamic between China and Taiwan operates within a three-tier paradigm encompassing cultural, military, and techno-economic dimensions. Taiwan’s export-driven, semiconductor-centric economy is a double-edged sword—serving as both a shield of technological supremacy deterring Chinese aggression and a vulnerability due to its lack of economic diversification for long-term stability.