Australia’s new migration strategy risks deterring students globally due to heightened financial burdens and limited work opportunities. These reforms are alongside the Australian Government’s increased focus on strengthening relations with Southeast Asian nations, including through education. 

With the potential inclusion of Japan, and other Indo-Pacific partners, in AUKUS Pillar II projects, the agreement is being pulled in two directions. One remains a closed, trilateral core of Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, and the other an emergent multilateral, regionally focused periphery.

Last month, the European Parliament narrowly voted to pass a landmark raft of legislation called the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. The Pact comprises five regulations to manage the movement of people, especially asylum seekers, into the European Union (EU).

French and German credibility has reached new lows on the Ukraine issue, risking European security as each seeks to sure up political and geopolitical influence. Solidarity is weak, and arms corporations have proven influential in national decisions for EU integration on security matters. 

South Africa is moving away from the party that brought Nelson Mandela to power, and the nation beyond Apartheid. For many, however, the future looks bleak, even with a potential change in leader.

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Albanese addresses Chinese jet manoeuvers; Sanctions against Russian cyber criminal Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev; new investment in Australia-Tuvalu relations; Australia expands connectivity with Palau, and more.

Violence and armed conflict produce many lasting consequences within a community. With over 120 conflicts and situations of violence still ongoing around the world right now, the impact of prior conflicts can be forgotten along with the work that remains to be done to help communities and families heal.

International efforts to address human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in China's Xinjiang region include targeted sanctions and legislative measures. Despite challenges, such as enforcement difficulties, the issue underscores the need for coordinated international action to balance economic interests with human rights concerns.

In their interesting, carefully crafted book on the problems facing liberal international order, Peter Trubowitz and Brian Burgoon argue that, for Western states, their geopolitical predicament is premised on their domestic politics.

Today, Pacific Island nations are among the most vulnerable countries to climate change, and Pacific communities are subsequently on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged this fact when he recently stated that “we recognise the climate crisis is the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security, and wellbeing of people in the Pacific.”