Read more about our Contributors

Dr Arpit Raswant is an Assistant Professor of International Business at the University of Newcastle in Australia and a Visiting Researcher in Entrepreneurship and Strategy at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. He is a former Korea Foundation Fellow and a POSCO Asia Fellow at Korea University in South Korea. His research has been published in the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of World Business, the Journal of Business Research, and other leading international journals. His research focuses on firm investment from social, economic, and security perspectives and is currently leading a research program on frontier markets, including Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, and Space.  Contact: arpit.raswant@newcastle.edu.au

Amanda McCue is a Churchill Trust Fellow completing a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Canberra.

Joel Odota is a PhD student of International Relations at the Centre for Australia-Africa Relations at Curtin University. He holds a Master’s in International Relations from the Australian National University and a Master's in Politics and International Relations from Peking University. Joel's work focuses on China-Africa relations, Great Power rivalry, and the agency of African countries in global politics.

John Augé is a 2026 Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network member. His research focuses on geopolitics, security, and climate change in the Indo-Pacific. He previously worked at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S.–Pacific Institute for Rising Leaders at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and the Tuvalu Climate Action Network. He has participated in climate conferences across the Pacific and internationally, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties. He has been published in The Diplomat, writing on issues related to the Pacific Islands. He holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and Finance from North Central College.

Dr Iryna Skubii is a historian of Ukraine, the Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe. Dr Skubii is the inaugural Mykola Zerov Fellow in Ukrainian Studies and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Her research examines the economic, social, and environmental history of the region, with particular attention to food security and famines, commodity frontiers, and agriculture. She frequently comments on Ukraine’s political developments, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and its environmental and societal impacts for ABC News, BBC News, and SBS Ukrainian. Her essays have appeared in Inside Story, The Interpreter, and Griffith Review. Dr Iryna Skubii's personal website: https://irynaskubii.com/

Dr Abraham Alvandi is an Australian researcher and academic with a South Azerbaijani background. He is actively engaged in academic and leadership roles within the digital health sector. In addition to his professional work, he has held several key positions in South Azerbaijani community affairs, contributing to cultural, civic and advocacy initiatives.

Dr Patrick Mendis is a presidential advisor on national security education at the US Department of Defense—an appointment by the Biden White House with Congressional endorsement. He is a distinguished visiting professor of transatlantic relations at the University of Warsaw. The authors have recently returned from a study and lecture tour in Latin America and Antarctica. The opinions expressed in this article are their own and do not represent those of their governments or affiliated institutions.

Ancuța (Anna) Hansen is the director of Perseveras Consulting, based in Australia, and an international expert in democracy, foreign affairs, and international development. For over two decades, she has led programs that strengthen political and electoral processes, peacebuilding, and civic engagement in Africa, Central America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, and has authored and edited numerous articles and research reports.

Abolfazl Hosseini Nik holds an M.A. in Political Science from Kharazmi University, with a focus on geopolitics, geoeconomics, economic corridors, sustainable security, and sustainable development. His research and professional experience are centred on the Middle East region.