Last year, the War in Afghanistan became the longest war the United States had participated in. In 2020, there still seems to be no clear end in sight for the conflict, 19 years in. The Negotiations Thus Far: Sporadic peace-making efforts have occurred since the … Continue readingFALSE DAWN: THE PROSPECT OF PEACE IN AFGHANISTAN
In the face of numerous simultaneous crises – medical, financial, social and environmental – anxieties continue to mount. With this prolonged stress, fatigue begins to set in. For activists, the precarious balance between the stresses of fighting and the dangers of passivity presents an impossible … Continue readingTHE FATIGUING FIGHT FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
The monstrosity of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) was evidenced by the droppings of ‘Little boy’ and ‘Fat man’ upon the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75 years ago. Since then, good traction has been made by both state and non-state actors in the global … Continue readingTHE FIGHT FOR NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION MUST CONTINUE
You would be forgiven to think that the Islamic State has ceased to exist. The organisation no longer controls any significant swaths of territory in either Syria or Iraq. Coordinated and motivated terrorist attacks abroad, particularly in Western countries, has declined considerably. The organisation’s leader, … Continue readingINSIDE SYRIA’S AL-HAWL REFUGEE CAMP
Papua New Guinea is one of Australia’s closest neighbours, yet it largely goes unnoticed. It is a country with aapproximately 80 per cent of its population living in rural areas, with very little access to modern life. Many of the country’s tribes live in the … Continue readingPNG’S MOMENT OF TRUTH
Although it is an uncomfortable truth to confront, COVID-19 has exposed deep-rooted inequalities within hierarchies globally, which have enabled certain classes of people to benefit from exploiting a perceived ‘lower’ class. Whilst the pandemic itself has been indiscriminate, it is clear that disadvantaged groups have … Continue readingA PASSAGE THROUGH INDIA
BY DEAN ANTOS – One would be remiss to think that history is run by impersonal forces. When humanity looks back at the year of 2020 they will undoubtedly see the difference personalities make. One such personality who more recently joins the plethora of world … Continue readingERDOGAN’S DIVISIVE DECREE
LESSONS FROM THE PALACE LETTERS In November 1977, then-Governor General Sir John Kerr made an intoxicated appearance at the Melbourne Cup; one month later he announced his retirement as the Queen’s representative. For Kerr, it seemed he had finally succumbed to the burden of a … Continue readingTHE CROWN WINS, BUT DOES IT SAVE THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL?
With countries increasingly utilizing technology well past what would have previously been imagined, it is crucial to understand how this area has expanded and the real concerns that emerge particularly around the area of privacy. Australia is investing in a facial recognition system called “The Capability” and … Continue readingTHE FACE RACE: PITFALLS OF FACIAL RECOGNITION
The International Intellectual Property Rights Regime and its impact on responding to the global pandemic It has been heralded all over the world, that the end to these “unprecedented times” will come either in the form of a vaccine or a cure for COVID-19. However, … Continue readingTRIP-ing at the finish line