Synthetic biology is an up-and-coming form of technology that could have significant impact on both the security and prosperity of Australia. 

Forty years since five departments were consolidated to create the Department of Defence, it is now celebrated and divisive politics are long-forgotten. The creation of Home Affairs should too enable a more strategic and integrated approach to public policy.

The legal proceedings on MH17 will entail many more years of complex legal prosecution. Nevertheless, there appear to be progressive steps towards accountability both of individuals and of Russia as a state.

The newly-developed ACMI Soft Power Map visualises the attraction of museums in global cities and, with the development of a forecasting layer, could help Australia to better generate cultural attraction.

Australia never once purported to exercise its right to grant diplomatic asylum despite quite exceptionally choosing to assert the existence of that right. Other countries that denied the existence of such a right nevertheless granted it in practice.

Australia is using international education programs as public diplomacy to increase their influence and promote policy agendas. Yet determining the impact of public diplomacy through the New Colombo Plan and Australian studies centres is a challenge.

Through a comparative analysis of Australia and China’s policy documents and official statements over the last ten years, it is possible to highlight their differing conceptions of the global order.

With world energy markets now in a period of considerable transformation, Australia should seize the opportunity to take a leading role in shaping the future architecture of global energy governance.

Reports of foreign election interference in the US, UK, and EU have brought our own vulnerability under closer examination. But do we have a sound understanding of what it all means?

Despite Australia’s record funding in gender equality and empowerment in overseas development assistance in recent years, much more needs to be done to boost gender equality as a mainstream objective in the health aid sector.

Although the recent decision concerning the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction on the Rohingya issue is encouraging, it cannot act alone to prevent crimes against humanity.