Planning your next trip? Want to take a scenic boat ride along the beautiful Ha Long Bay? Hike the scenic summit of Sapa? Visit the historic sites of the culturally rich Hoi An? Vietnam is a beautiful country to visit and has much to offer … Continue readingWhat’s the next destination: Sustainability and Tourism in Vietnam
In his election victory speech, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed, ‘in full’, to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Statement proposes a suite of reforms, including the constitutional recognition and empowerment of Australia’s First Nations by allowing them to have a say in the … Continue readingWhat does a First Nations foreign policy really mean?
In May of this year, over three years after its international debut, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) was no longer a ‘public health emergency of international concern’. While acknowledging the continued severity of the risks associated with COVID-19, Dr. Tedros, WHO’s … Continue readingLESSONS UNLEARNT – PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AFTER COVID-19
In the heart of Shandong province, Zibo’s streets are filled with a smoky allure. Barbecues have become a symbol of cultural resistance against the societal pressures of post-Covid China. This ‘BBQ City – Zibo‘ phenomenon contrasts sharply with ‘Runology,’ a term encapsulating the yearning of … Continue readingThe Dialectics of Discontent: A Glimpse of Reality through Societal Phenomena in Post-COVID China
At first glance, Chechnya — the small Russian republic in the Northern Caucasus region — appears an unlikely candidate for substantial involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The republic is barely 0.1% of Russia’s total area, and contains less than 1% of Russia’s population. Perhaps even less likely is a scenario in which Chechens fight in Ukraine on both sides. Yet both situations are now playing out. To understand why, we must understand how Chechnya’s current religious and geopolitical circumstances developed. … Continue readingWHY CHECHENS ARE FIGHTING FOR – AND AGAINST – RUSSIA IN UKRAINE
Boris Johnson has bowed out as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after just three years in the role. With the UK facing a cost-of-living crisis, an energy catastrophe, and low levels of trust in elected officials, Johnson’s successor and former lieutenant Liz Truss faces one of the worst in-trays an incoming PM has had to tackle in a generation. Requiring an urgent response, will she be up for the task, or will she be forced to go the way of her recent predecessors? Will she be able to emerge from the shadow of Johnson’s leadership? … Continue readingThe Johnson-Truss Transition | Can Britain’s New PM Assert Her Leadership?
China’s rise over the last several decades has at times been accompanied by turbulent relations with other states and the multilateral system more broadly.
As Owen Robinson writes, this has led to several efforts by the Chinese Government to transform its image on the global stage and with individuals on a smaller scale. … Continue readingThe Emperor’s New Groove? China’s Reimagined Image
‘Until July this year, the Pacific Islands Forum was a little known intergovernmental organisation that advocated for cooperation between, and the interests of, its Pacific nation members. Yet with the Forum’s 2022 Meeting, held in the Fijian capital of Suva, having just concluded (its first in-person meeting since 2019), it has shed its tag of “little known”.’
Nicholas Butler discusses the achievements and controversies that defined this year’s especially significant Pacific Islands Forum. … Continue readingSuccess with some Setbacks: The 2022 Meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum
“Over the past two years, natural gas prices have more than doubled. Those of us who use gas every day, such as for cooking and heating our homes, have seen enormous cost increases but many are unsure why. So what has happened? Everything.”
Monique Westcott addresses this burning question. … Continue readingSurging Prices: The Reasons behind Increasing Global Gas Prices
The implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine continue to expand beyond politics and the economy and into new contexts, the latest of which has been sport. The highly esteemed English tennis competition Wimbledon has made the decision to impose a ban on Russian and Belarusian players as part of a global effort to sanction Russia for its attack on Ukraine.
Sneha Ramanan discusses the significance of this ban and asks the question: Can sport and politics ever truly be separated? … Continue readingSports and Politics: Can They Be Kept Separate?