PIVOT

“Habibi, don’t come to Dubai”: Investigating Modern Day Slavery in the UAE

From Dubai Bling to Dubai Chocolate, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has dominated entertainment media and tourism since the discovery of oil in the late 1960s, launching them as a key player in the global trade hierarchy due to soft power influences. However, the UAE’s ‘elite’ status is one upheld by modern slavery systems under the guise of cheap labour. For as tall as the buildings are, equally as long are the shadows they cast; ones of oppressiveness, human rights abuses and exploitation. … Continue reading“Habibi, don’t come to Dubai”: Investigating Modern Day Slavery in the UAE

Renting wombs: the ethics of international surrogacy

Surrogacy is “booming”. Now a multi-billion dollar industry globally, it is set to be valued at AU$187 billion by 2032. While medical advancements and social shifts have normalised this path to parenthood, there is concern that while surrogacy has the ability to bring one woman’s dream to life, it exploits another — often one more vulnerable than the buyer. … Continue readingRenting wombs: the ethics of international surrogacy

From the Streets to the State: How South Asia’s Youth Are Rewriting Politics

South Asia has been seeing a rise in youth populism, an anti-elite sentiment amongst Gen-Z, which generally stems from triggers such as corruption or misrepresentation. Though increasingly prevalent in recent years, young people have long been at the centre of political protests, from student activism during the Vietnam War to the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Today, this continues through Gen Z-led movements determined to challenge governments and defy aging elites. In the age of social media, mass mobilisation has become easier than ever. … Continue readingFrom the Streets to the State: How South Asia’s Youth Are Rewriting Politics

So you want to contract in the Congo? Force majeure clauses and resource nationalism

The DRC sits at the precipice of two rising menaces — resource nationalism and resource conflict. As critical minerals grow in value during the global energy transition, a key question has arisen. What is international contract law’s capacity to protect private persons attempting to trade from the trenches of mounting geopolitical tides, breeding embargo and war? … Continue readingSo you want to contract in the Congo? Force majeure clauses and resource nationalism

Cost-of-Living Crisis, Contract Killers, and Cobalt Kings: The Global Architecture of Insecurity

Too poor to afford a house, not enough space in the market to get a job; governments hiring modern-day mercenaries, committing unspeakable acts without any form of punishment; and, in our pockets, goods, made from the suffering of the bruised, bloodied, and broken.
We are living through an insecurity crisis, a global crisis that few are safe from. While there are many factors that have helped sculpt this issue, the hand of exploitation has been a principal architect of this state we find ourselves in.
… Continue readingCost-of-Living Crisis, Contract Killers, and Cobalt Kings: The Global Architecture of Insecurity

The Dictator’s Ghost: The Cold War Network Still Haunting South America

1976. In the cold streets of Buenos Aires, an estimated 300 academics, activists, trade unionists and journalists are taken from an ordinary van into a nondescript garage named Automotores Orletti in the dead of night. People scream, never to be heard again. Fifty years on. The nondescript garage still stands; however, the sound of the screams are replaced with a deafening silence. … Continue readingThe Dictator’s Ghost: The Cold War Network Still Haunting South America

Saving Women, Selling War: Feminist Foreign Policy as a Tool of Imperial Power

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invoked the rights of Iranian women to rally international support for military action against Tehran, it brought people a sense of deja vu. The language was familiar — the appeal to women’s dignity, the implicit promise of liberation — but so was the source: a long tradition of Western imperialism that historically used the rhetoric of saving women to legitimise war. … Continue readingSaving Women, Selling War: Feminist Foreign Policy as a Tool of Imperial Power

The Limits of International Law: from Srebrenica to Gaza

With every major human rights violation, war, or humanitarian catastrophe, we see the invocation of international law. From Rwanda to Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Iraq and, most recently, Gaza, the language is familiar and repeats itself.
The question, then, is not whether international law exists, but whether its failure lies in inherent weakness or in its selective implementation. … Continue readingThe Limits of International Law: from Srebrenica to Gaza

Why thrifting is not the answer to our global overconsumption problem: The Case for Corporate Responsibility

Thrifting is often celebrated as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion. Purchasing clothes that otherwise would have ended up in landfill, thereby promoting a circular economy. While there is no denying that thrifting is beneficial for the environment, without challenging the consumption narrative and placing corporate responsibility on fast fashion brands, thrifting alone will never solve our overconsumption and overproduction problems. … Continue readingWhy thrifting is not the answer to our global overconsumption problem: The Case for Corporate Responsibility

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Western Empire: The 80 Year Obsession Over Oil and Regime Change

At 9:45am IRST on 28 February, Iranians starting their workday were met with US-Israeli attacks, targeting key civil and military infrastructure. A history of Western aggression, sanctions, and regime change make this chapter in Iran’s history no surprise; however, with the US-led decline of the rules-based order, and a far more concerted effort by Iran to threaten the global oil trade, it remains to be seen how the world will rear from the newest iteration of an 80 year long rivalry between Iran and Western ambitions. … Continue readingThe Islamic Republic of Iran and Western Empire: The 80 Year Obsession Over Oil and Regime Change