Australia is debating how best to harness artificial intelligence (AI) for economic growth, especially to boost its long-sluggish productivity. In their latest book, Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity, 2024 Nobel laureates in economics Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson challenge the notion that technology inevitably drives social welfare, contending that strong institutions and deliberate policy directions are just as important in shaping equitable outcomes. 

Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, was the 39th president of the United States. His period in office is bookended by the political carnage of mid 1970s America, left by the earlier Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford presidencies, and the Hollywood style of Ronald Reagan from 1981. Carter’s term is largely overlooked and often derided, yet he had some important success.

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Marles and Wong in UK for 14th Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN); aid for search and rescue efforts provided to Vanuatu following the Port Vila earthquake; Wong in Ukraine to announce return of embassy to Kyiv, and more.

The world is entering a new Cold War between the United States and China, requiring a comprehensive, aggressive strategy to counter China’s rising influence, according to the authors. In managing this new strategic reality, the book emphasises innovation, alliances, and vigilance, while raising important questions about the sustainability and endgame of this geopolitical rivalry.

Strategic minilaterals like the Quad, AUKUS, and TSD exemplify flexible security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, balancing between governance and military alignment. While unlikely to evolve into formal alliances, their growing integration positions them as adaptable coalitions for regional stability and crisis response

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's meeting with Vladimir Putin in October, and his absence at the Ukraine Peace Summit in June, raises critical questions about the role of international organisations in addressing conflict: Is the UN a moral arbiter, or should it prioritise dialogue, even with those who perpetrate violence?

East Asian states adopt varied strategic responses to China's rise—balancing, hedging, or bandwagoning—driven primarily by geography, democracy, and historical identity. These factors shape threat perceptions and policies, underscoring a complex regional landscape influenced by proximity, political systems, and collective memory.

Australia’s proposed social media ban for those under 16 aims to protect youth mental health but risks unintended consequences. International examples show that restricting access to mainstream platforms may push vulnerable youth into unregulated online spaces, increasing their exposure to radicalisation and harmful ideologies

In October 2024, four key Southeast Asian countries became partners of BRICS, making the organisation much closer to home for Australians. So why have Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam put themselves on a path to membership?

Despite escalating geopolitical tensions, India and China maintain a paradoxical relationship of economic interdependence. This dynamic reveals a delicate balance where strategic competition coexists with pragmatic cooperation, driving global supply chains and sustaining mutual economic benefits.