2025 is shaping up to be yet another huge year for technology and geopolitics. AI has so much hype, it can be hard to cut through and get a sense of reality.  Yet, the initial promise of technology rarely predicts how it ultimately develops and integrates into society. The space between the promise and reality offers insight into some interesting trends for 2025.

The recent Los Angeles fires warrant the importance of climate change prevention. With polices shifts under the new Trump Administration, Australia needs to […]

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Albanese reaffirms Australia’s support for Ukraine; Farrel appoints Paul Grimes as CEO of Austrade; Marles announces Australia’s AUKUS Submarine Industry Strategy and Submarine Supplier Qualification Pilot; and more. 

By investing in key UN institutional mechanisms, Australia can contribute to upholding the rules-based order of the law of the sea and enhancing the ecological security of our oceans, leading to a more sustainable and secure Indo-Pacific region.

As states continue exploring options for the reform of Investor-State Dispute Settlement, the EU’s proposal to establish a Multilateral Investment Court faces an uncertain legal and political landscape.

Mixed Fortunes by Paul Tilley delves into our past successes – which are few and far between – and failures in the process of tax policymaking to understand what lessons can be garnered for future tax reform. Critically, tax reform is not simply ‘tinkering’ we often see debated about managing bracket creep, changes to the total level of taxation or the provision of tax breaks. Tilley looks to genuine reform and the underpinning review process.

A key question thrown up by President Trump’s recent dealings with Ukraine is “where do we go from here for European security?” The American abandonment of Ukraine should not be surprising. This war had to be brought to a close—although Trump’s actions have been undiplomatic and bordering on bizarre. Are there ideas from the late 1980s and early 90s that can be considered today? 

Strategic media engagement is a crucial yet often overlooked tool for fostering collaboration in maritime issues. One of the key challenges lies in the limited maritime reporting literacy among journalists and coastal communities, who often lack access to specialised training, scientific resources, or government briefings on maritime governance and security. 

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.

China's unprecedented naval drills in the Tasman Sea signal a bold shift in its military strategy. Timed with US Indo-Pacific Commander Samuel J. Paparo’s visit to Canberra, this move tests regional security dynamics amid the Trump-Putin deal, challenging strategic stability.