The COVID-19 pandemic is happening against the backdrop of the 2020 US presidential elections. The virus seems to have undone all the gains that Trump was counting on to be the foundation of his 2020 re-election bid.

Despite Southeast Asian countries’ reputation for being run by men, the Philippines and Singapore have impressive indicators on gender equality. However, when considering Southeast Asia as a whole, gender equality is still nowhere near perfect.

The idea of the Indo-Pacific has rapidly become a major part of policy and analytical discussion in Australia. Few people in Australia can claim to be more enthusiastic or influential advocates of the Indo-Pacific idea than Rory Medcalf.

Today is the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, a United Nations initiative to raise awareness of sport as a tool to accomplish the UN’s development objectives. Australia uses sports in its foreign aid both for development outcomes and diplomatic engagement in the region.

The term “Indo-Pacific” has become increasingly present in Australian foreign policy discourses, particularly in terms of democracy promotion.  Yet perceptions of exceptionalism can have the opposite effect.

Women are promoting, mobilising, and leading social movements around the globe.  In Iraq, women directly confront deeply-rooted traditional and religious gender norms despite very real threats of violence.

Most people have been lulled into a false sense of security about nuclear weapons, believing that with the end of the Cold War, the dangers of nuclear annihilation are behind us. Nothing could be further from the truth.

East Asia financial cooperation reaches a milestone on 24 March 2020, which marks the 10th anniversary of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM).  This is an opportunity to consider how regional financial cooperation can be further strengthened.

Iran’s conservatives are being voted back into power. But with the range of challenges Iran faces, including the accelerating spread of Coronavirus, might these have been good elections to lose?

Last month’s deadly riots in Delhi were a state-sponsored pogrom. To prevent an uncontrollable mass tragedy that could destabilise the Asia–Pacific region, friendly governments must speak out now.

Though a ceasefire agreement has been reached between Russia and Turkey, tension still pervades the atmosphere in northwest Syria. Throughout this latest escalation,  humanitarian organisations have once again risked their lives to deliver vital emergency response services to meet the immediate needs of millions of Syrians caught up in this catastrophe.