Fragile Borders and Where to Draw Them: How British Mapmakers Immortalised Conflict in the Middle East

Across the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa, the borders that define modern states and the conflicts that dictate modern headlines trace back to decisions made by British officials who were, at best, in a hurry, and at worst, deliberately designing systems of division that would ensure no territory could ever mount a unified resistance. To understand why so many of the world’s most catastrophic conflicts feel permanent, we must follow the ink lines back to the men who drew them.
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How Flag Carrier Airlines Are Rebranding Nation-States

Commercial airlines do far more than transport people or make profits. They actively represent their home country on the international stage and forge links between regions. Commercial passenger aviation is therefore a space where power, reputation and diplomatic struggles for influence play out from the tarmac to the high skies. … Continue readingHow Flag Carrier Airlines Are Rebranding Nation-States

“My culture is not your costume”: The cultural appropriation of South Asian fashion

South Asian fashion, with its vibrant colours and intricate embroidery, has made a significant mark on the global runway and has been a subject of interest for major fashion brands for years. However, it has also been a subject of news headlines as many Western fashion brands have released fashion lines closely resembling South Asian pieces. Such cases have created online discourse about the cultural appropriation of South Asian fashion in the fashion industry and drawn parallels to specific historical practices during the colonial era. … Continue reading“My culture is not your costume”: The cultural appropriation of South Asian fashion

“Diplomacy, first and foremost, is about influence”: former Australian diplomat Jane Hardy steps through her journey in foreign affairs

In an exclusive interview with Pivot, former Australian diplomat goes through her three-decade long career within diplomacy and the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Having been involved in high-level discussions around areas such as arms control, trade and the US-Australia relationship, Jane gives an insider view into how the culture of Australian diplomacy operates … Continue reading“Diplomacy, first and foremost, is about influence”: former Australian diplomat Jane Hardy steps through her journey in foreign affairs

The Web We Were Promised and the One We Got: Power, Control and the Future of the Internet

Few inventions have simultaneously united and divided human society as profoundly as the internet and it is unsurprising that it inspires such intense debate. Modern social interaction and community formation are now deeply dependent on it, with an estimated 63.9% of the world’s population utilising social media in some capacity in 2025. Control of the internet therefore, whether by government or private interests, represents an avenue of unprecedented societal influence in human society.
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A Very Short History of Balkanisation – and What It Means for Iran

The early months of 2026 have seen renewed discussion of multipolarity, nationalism and the risk of wider conflict.
Another term associated with 20th century politics has re-entered online political discourse:
Balkanisation.
The term is often used to describe fears of an ethnically or culturally diverse state fragmenting into smaller, weaker, political units. Both the Ottoman Empire and Yugoslavia ‘Balkanised’ in the 20th century, and now Iran faces the same threat today.
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Left on Delivered: How Iran’s Protestors Fight in Darkness

Since gaining power in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has spent nearly 50 years methodically impeding in the lives of 90 million people, enforcing compulsory headscarf laws, discrimination against ethnic minorities and engaging in torture, executions and arbitrary detention against political dissidents. As Iranians navigated the start of 2026 in total darkness, it is important to understand the real-world impact historic protests have had on Iranian society, and to not relegate them to the abyss of internet obscurity. … Continue readingLeft on Delivered: How Iran’s Protestors Fight in Darkness

Too Much of a Good Thing? The Optics and Economics of Overtourism in Japan

Australians love to travel, but are we really the ‘good tourists’ we believe ourselves to be? Governments of popular destinations are increasingly responding to local anti-tourist sentiment with measures to control or reduce overtourism. In Japan, the skyrocketing number of foreign visitors, which included more than one million Australians last year, has elicited strong backlash and become a major domestic political issue. If tourism strengthens international influence, how are responses to overtourism affecting countries’ soft power? … Continue readingToo Much of a Good Thing? The Optics and Economics of Overtourism in Japan

All Art is Uncommitted Crime: The Intersection of Art, Activism and Social Media in the 21st Century

German philosopher Theodor Adorno famously praised the inherent political nature of art, declaring that “every work of art is an uncommitted crime”. Art should not only allow us to think critically about society, but should galvanize radical action. If the goal of protest is to correct injustices in the world, and the goal of art is to inspire activism, then it comes as no surprise that art-inspired protest is so prevalent in both history and the modern day. … Continue readingAll Art is Uncommitted Crime: The Intersection of Art, Activism and Social Media in the 21st Century