In the inaugural two months of Pivot, we have published 17 articles from 15 different authors. Our readership spans the globe with readers from the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. As we move forward, it is my hope that Pivot can continue to further expand and cater to the interests of readers from diverse backgrounds. Hence, we will continue to strive to emphasise the importance of key issues and how they affect the lives of so many in Australia and around the world.
The past two months have also highlighted the volatility that is a constant characteristic in international affairs. Since the publication of our first article on May 1st, we have witnessed an unprecedented change of government in Malaysia, political uncertainty in Italy, and further power consolidation in Turkey. Brexit is still Brexit, but who remains in power in both Europe and the U.K. by March 2019 remains in limbo. As I wrote in our first article, international relations is a fickle matter and is vulnerable to unwarranted or unforeseen pivots, and the coming years will be no exception.
Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong-un in Singapore also showed us how quickly diplomacy can change. The flip flopping of plans, and the “will they or won’t they meet” debates in the 24 hour news cycle and among key politicians, indicated the fluctuation of international relations, especially in this era of more divisive politics in a globalised world. Although marred with criticism over human rights abuses and the lack of detail in the joint statement, the fruition of the meeting highlights the hard work and dedication of many unseen individuals and the potential for improving hostile relations in this time where further tensions are emblazoned on everything we read.
Yet, in this world of Trumpian policies which have somewhat shocked the status quo, we cannot forget the relevance of other issues and their vitality to all regions of the world, regardless of the degree of influence. These matters are also subject to the same flux that is evident in much more substantial global dilemmas. It was pleasing for us to touch on such topics that are not really discussed by mass media outlets, including the Mali Insurgency and also the dispute between Roman-Jewish and Israeli-Jewish communities over the humble artichoke. While we tend to focus on the macro issues in international relations, the micro issues that are sometimes forgotten require our attention. It was Emily Dickinson who once wrote:
“If you take care of the small things, the big things take care of themselves.”
Hence, as we move forward, Pivot is bound to change. Over the next months, we will discover things we are missing and we will develop plans to encourage readers to become more informed about international affairs. We also welcome suggestions from our readers on what they would like to read. But our path is clear – to educate about all aspects of international relations, no matter how large or how small.
