The US/China relationship -- arguably the most important in the world -- is on a downward spiral.  The authors of “Superpower Showdown” describe it as a “romance gone bad.”

The long saga of WikiLeaks continues. He now faces extradition to the US to be tried for espionage, and Andrew Fowler's third update of his book completes the record to 2020.

Discussions of an Indo-Pacific Charter in a post-COVID-19 world are starting to gain traction. To make this charter a reality would require implementing a minimalist and inclusive design that first seeks order and later paves the way to justice.

Months of peace negotiations in Afghanistan bring good and bad news. Despite consolidation of a power sharing agreement between political rivals and the formation of a council for peace, the coronavirus and a contest for Taliban leadership will defer the commencement of peace talks.

China claims territory over the Galwan Valley, which India has rebuffed as a unilateral attempt to change the status quo. Diplomatic and military efforts to defuse the standoff have not achieved any substantial results, and now the two nuclear-armed Asian giants are at risk of war.

The Mexican government has implemented a series of different policies to try to eradicate the pervasive power of cartels, and the violence accompanying them. However, an effective policy will require eliminating the source of cartels' power, rather than just undermining it. 

In recent months, members of Iran’s Bahá’í community have been facing a double threat. Not only is the risk of infections from the coronavirus epidemic gripping their nation, a tide of religious persecution is also rising.

An Australian MP has proposed that the US and other Western nations counter Chinese aggression by bringing Russia in from the cold. But doing so would create more problems than it might solve. 

The conclusion of the Australian National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security provides an opportunity to reflect upon achievements toward greater gender equality for conflict-affected women.  This article is the winner of the Australian Journal of International Affairs' 2020 Boyer Prize.

In his early career, Malcolm Turnbull showed brilliance as a lawyer, entrepreneur, and investment banker. These should have earned him respect as a politician among his liberal peers, but he also carried into office progressive credentials for which he was relentlessly attacked by right-wing back- benchers and a conservative commentariat.

By most accounts, China has behaved badly through the COVID-19 pandemic.  Fascinating insights can be derived about China’s present behaviour by looking into its past.