Integrating formal institutions with people-centered approaches will enhance Pacific regionalism. True regional success requires recognising and nurturing everyday social connections and cultural identities that connect people across nations, beyond just formal governmental and institutional engagements.

In Ghana, the recent push for a gender equality bill is a crucial step toward enhancing women's political representation. However, its effectiveness hinges on overcoming entrenched gender biases and ensuring robust implementation to truly transform the political landscape. 

Mass killings are commonly driven by elites who seek to consolidate power within their own group. Such atrocities serve not just to kill outgroups but also to strengthen control of the ingroup by eliminating or coercing internal opposition within the regime, as demonstrated by cases like the Rwandan genocide.

There is a critical need for gender-inclusive strategies in disaster resilience, as illustrated by the aftermath of Australia’s Black Summer Bushfires 2019-2020. Japan's experiences highlight the role of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) for meeting emergency response needs, particularly in addressing the needs of women, who face heightened risks and challenges during crises.

The idea that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was driven by fears of NATO expansion over-simplifies complex geopolitical dynamics. Such arguments do not fully address how NATO's defensive nature and the specifics of Ukraine's membership scenario mitigate these threats.

The question of how South Africa regulates its multiple Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) and how effective that regulation is has recently come into question with the discovery of illegal military training camps Mpumalanga. Bolstering the efficiency of inter-agency cooperation to ensure such activities stay within the law has become a new and urgent requirement.

Efforts in Japan to develop memory preservation, infrastructure reinforcement, and community involvement have helped to build more resilient societies in responding to disasters. As coutnries in the Indo-Pacific continue to grapple with climate and disaster events, the lessons learned in Japan provide a framework for preparing for an effective response. 

Parliamentary systems foster stronger, more inclusive institutions which contribute to better economic performance and stability. Evidence suggests that presidential systems, by contrast, tend to exhibit lower GDP growth rates, higher income inequality, and greater economic instability.

President Joe Biden’s late withdrawal from the election has given Democratic nominee Kamala Harris limited time to impact the election. There are some crucial numbers in key areas, however, that give her a fighting chance.

The war between Russia and Ukraine emphasises that the outcome hinges not just on military engagements but also on the willpower and economic capacities of both nations. Broader geopolitical and internal pressures within Russia will likely impact the war's duration and outcome, with much also depending on Western support for Ukraine.