Negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine is a formidable challenge as the war enters its fourth […]

Dr Edward Chan is a Postdoctoral Fellow of China Studies at Australian National University and the Associate Editor of The China Journal. 

Hansbury’s book examines Belarus’s 2020 uprising, Lukashenka’s survival strategies, and the West’s response. While insightful and engaging, it overlooks key diplomatic efforts and naively suggests Russia could mediate change. Despite its flaws, it remains essential reading on Belarus’s political crisis.

The Indo-Pacific faces significant maritime challenges, and the solutions to that problem are undermined by insufficient maritime domain awareness (MDA) and fragmented international cooperation. A “Maritime Domain Awareness Mobile Application” featuring an open-source, user-friendly design with interactive functionalities could help address both shortfalls. The app would improve policymakers’ access to maritime information while fostering trust and regional collaboration, starting with a pilot program built by Vietnam.

Europe faces an undeniable shift in its security landscape. The Trump administration’s ambiguity around NATO and Article 5 has exposed the risks of over-reliance on the US. While NATO remains crucial, increasing European defence spending and calls for greater autonomy from significant EU leaders signal a shift toward a more self-sufficient security framework. The EU has evolved from an economic organisation at its conception into a political organisation, with the right leadership and careful planning, it could evolve again to include a military organisation.

Dr Dalbir Ahlawat is a Senior Lecturer, School of International Studies, Macquarie University, Australia. 

Syria’s post-conflict recovery is at risk without its new regime re-establishing human rights and applying them. 

Samuel Wassmann is a Master of Political Science student at the Australian National University and Assistant Editor at Australian Outlook. His 2022 honours […]

Maritime data in Southeast Asia is fragmented across various sources, complicating efforts to locate relevant data. However, this could be enhanced with a common maritime database.

Australia’s reliance on bilateral security agreements as a counter to China’s growing influence in the Pacific is proving short-sighted, as Cook Islands’ engagement with Beijing demonstrates. To secure enduring regional partnerships, Australia must prioritise long-term relationship-building and Pacific-led regionalism over transactional agreements and reactionary diplomacy

Climate change is an existential threat for pacific nations and Australia, according to the authors of Climate politics in Oceania: Renewing Australia-Pacific Relations in a Warming World, is dragging its feet when it comes to leadership and engagement in climate policy in the pacific.