A young boy in the US and a young boy in China grow up under similar surveillance systems, hear similar promises of prosperity and absorb similar judgements about nations on the other side of the world. The former grows up in a system socially accepted as patriotic, while treating its mirror image suspiciously. … Continue readingRAGS TO RICHES ON DEMAND: THE BLIND SPOT OF CHANGING NARRATIVES IN WESTERN MEDIA
When certain states refuse to demand accountability and allow for corruption in the highest levels of power to go unchecked, it can lead to the normalisation of authoritarian leadership or practices, threatening the very fabric of democracy. With two different judicial systems and political histories, the US and Brazil reveal contrasting lessons in the value of accountability in the face of political corruption. … Continue readingThe Accountability Gap: Global Contrasts and Responses to Political Corruption and Crime
Space is no longer a question of whether humanity gets in there; rather, it’s who sets the rules once we do. Private companies already outpace states in access, equity and infrastructure, while geopolitical rivalries turn that dependency into a bargaining chip. This article traces the widening gap between the Outer Space Treaty and the reality of who controls the launchpads, who benefits, and whether polycentric governance can close the gap before the window closes. … Continue readingSpace belongs to everyone – or does it?
For years, the surest way to kill a progressive campaign was to prop up a moderate opponent, or simply to label the candidate too progressive, too ambitious, too unrealistic, and therefore unelectable. Centrism was the default, and anything more ambitious was dismissed as unrealistic. That doctrine survived as long as it did because deteriorating material conditions hadn’t yet made “risky” and “unrealistic” look like the only options left on the table. But recent wins show us that things are changing. … Continue readingThe Rise of Mamdani-like Politicians and the End of the Myth of ‘Electability’?
in 10 people across the world sometimes or often avoid the news, according to the 2025 Reuters Institute Digital News Report. At first glance, this appears to highlight a growing indifference to global crises. The reality is a growing surge of compassion fatigue — caused by caring too much. … Continue readingCompassion Fatigue: The cost of caring for the world
Emotion is commonly associated with war and destruction, yet fear and empathy have arguably been the only things which have saved our planet from annihilation — emotions that artificial intelligence (AI) cannot feel. The mix of declining nuclear arms controls and rising AI usage in defence systems raises the question: what happens when humans are distanced from the consequences of their actions? … Continue readingWhere machines fail, will human instinct suffice?
The wealth of Global North countries, the unequal impacts of climate change and the resulting vulnerability of Global South countries is the direct result of imperialism. The use of imperialist strategies against countries in the Global South has led to an unequal distribution of wealth and the destruction of the environment to fund the safety, wealth and development of countries in the Global North. … Continue readingThe Environment: Another Victim of Imperialism?
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.
… Continue readingThe Web We Were Promised and the One We Got: Power, Control and the Future of the Internet
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
Two competing narratives exist alongside one another: the World Cup as a space for unity, in which multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism are celebrated, and the World Cup as a spectacle for nations to promote nationalism and sportswash. From the inception of the Association Football rules in 1863 to the 2026 World Cup, the World Cup and football more broadly are inherently interlinked with the histories of empire, nationalism and conflict. … Continue readingBlowing the whistle: The beautiful game’s ugly underbelly