This week in Australian foreign affairs: Marles meets new prime minister of Solomon Islands; Wong in Bangladesh for ministerial meetings; Wong addresses Israel-Palestine issue; Watts off to Viena for IAEA meeting, and more.

Some 80,000 people were abducted by North Korea during the Korean War. Many have never been seen again, and their stories to this day remain untold.  

Niki Alsford’s recent book, “Taiwan Lives,” explores how the Taiwanese people have transformed their home, a product of settler colonialism, into one of the world’s most high-tech economies, with a successful and vibrant democracy, and a distinctive cultural identity.

Largely unnoticed, the Afghan Taliban have been rapidly expanding a network of Madrassas to propagate their ideology to a captive audience. This may prove to be one of the most fearsome developments in Southwest Asia since the United States abandoned Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2020-21.

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. 

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).

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.

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.”

An Indigenous-led climate policy partnerered with ASEAN members can help to fight climate change. With existing mitigation approaches slowed or abandoned, new tools are needed.