Read more about our Contributors

Dr Reuben Steff is Assistant Professor at Mendel University, Brno, Czech Republic. He teaches courses on Geopolitics, International Relations and International Security. His research spans the the dynamics of great-power competition between the United States and China, implications of artificial intelligence for the global balance of power, the interaction between nuclear deterrence theory and ballistic missile defence within the security dilemma, and New Zealand, Australia and United States foreign policy. He is the author of five books, including New Zealand’s Geopolitics and the US-China Competition (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025), Emerging Technologies and International Security: Machines, the State and War (Routledge 2020) and US Foreign Policy in the Age of Trump: Drivers, Strategy and Tactics (Routledge, 2020). His latest journal articles are: "The Strategic Case for New Zealand to Join AUKUS Pillar 2", Australian Journal of International Affairs, (2025) and "'Our region is now a Strategic Theatre”: New Zealand’s Balancing Response to China", The Pacific Review (2024).

Joseph Zeller is a defence and national security professional with experience across the Navy, policing and government. His research spans strategy, energy economics, and the constraints shaping industrial capacity and long-term strategic resilience.

Alfin Febrian Basundoro is a junior lecturer in the Department of International Relations at Universitas Airlangga.

Callum Trainor is studying for a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne. He is a graduate of Stanford University and has undertaken further studies at the Institut Pasteur and the Sorbonne. His interests lie in global health and international affairs, with a particular focus on Australian-Indonesian relations. He is also a recipient of the 2025 AIIA Euan Crone Asian Awareness Scholarship, which supported his research in Indonesia. You can find more about the scholarship program, including how to apply, here.

Lucy Haley holds a Masters in International Relations and has studied global studies and languages, with a focus on Arabic, Chinese and Spanish. She has worked and volunteered across government, university, diplomatic, and NGO sectors and is passionate about foreign affairs, education, national security and cross-cultural communication.

Dr Sébastien Fassiaux is Visiting Assistant Professor at Esade Law School in Barcelona. He specialises in EU law and digital regulation.  

Abbey Cubit is a Media Strategist and is completing a Master of Business Administration at the University of Canberra. 

Malika Knapp is a fourth-year student at the Australian National University, studying a double degree in International Relations and Medical Science. She is a recipient of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s New Colombo Plan Scholarship to study and intern in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea in 2026. She is currently interning with CARE International in Jakarta, and has previously interned with RAND Australia, the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue, and the Australian Institute of International Affairs.

Brin Liddell is an elite Australian Olympic sailor competing in the Nacra 17, with campaigns focused on Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028. Alongside his sporting career, he is completing a Bachelor of Business (Innovation and Entrepreneurship) at the University of Newcastle. His interests sit at the intersection of high-performance sport, decision-making under uncertainty, and strategic thinking in dynamic environments. Contact: brin.liddell@uon.edu.au

Dr Jiye Kim is an Assistant Professor of International Security at the University of Queensland and a researcher affiliated with the University of Sydney in Australia. Her work explores international security issues using multilingual and multi-country approaches. She specialises in international relations, focusing on the Asia-Pacific region and linking international business with security challenges, including climate, health, and Space. She is the author of The Future of the South China Sea, published by the University of Michigan Press. Contact: jiye.kim@uq.edu.au, jiye.kim@sydney.edu.au