The word ‘election’ brings about dread in society. From the tiresome campaigns to a myriad of meme-worthy moments, we cannot help but become resentful of them by the time a victor has been declared. We in Australia have only just gone through the arduous process … Continue readingFrench Elections | Macron’s Real Test Still to Come
On a single day in 1965, an Indonesian coup rapidly turned into a full-frontal massacre, resulting in an estimated 500,000 to three million deaths. Although the September 30th Movement, as it later became known, was an event of incredible brutality, many parts of this story have regrettably not been told. The atrocities committed as a result of this coup have been largely concealed — unfortunately swept beneath Indonesian and foreign governments’ carpets, for purely economic and strategic aims.
Monique Westcott delves into the history of one of Indonesia’s darkest periods, and the Western interference that helped precipitated it. … Continue readingIndonesia: Swept under the Carpet
Sri Lanka, the island nation off the southern coast of India, is currently facing its worst economic crisis in 73 years (by its government’s estimation). Inflation is skyrocketing and shortages of food, medicine and other critical supplies are crippling the country. The country faces defaulting on its debt. Severe political unrest has predictably erupted in response. The crisis facing Sri Lanka is an example of a true perfect storm: multiple economic stressors have hit the country all at once … Continue reading#GOHOMEGOTA: SRI LANKA’S WORST ECONOMIC CRISIS SINCE INDEPENDENCE
At the beginning of 2022, in the Indian state of Karnataka, Muslim students of a junior college who wore a hijab to classes were denied entry on the grounds that it was a violation of the college’s uniform policy. In the following weeks, protests on the issue were met with counter-protests from Hindu students, demanding to wear saffron scarves (the colour is seen as a Hindu symbol). Ultimately, the dispute was considered by the Karnataka High Court, where they determined that the restrictions on hijabs should be upheld. The decision was criticised inside India and internationally, by the likes of the Human Rights Watch, and by human rights activists such as Malala Yousafzai.
… Continue readingHINDU NATIONALISM – A NEW INDIA
Does India offer Australia’s greatest hope of secure diplomatic and economic integration in the Indo-Pacific?
In light of the recently signed Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, and both countries’ souring relationship with China, Nicholas Butler explores this fundamental question and its ongoing implications. … Continue readingAustralia-China Tensions: India to the Rescue?
At the close of 2020,the UNHCR predicted that the number of displaced persons would, for the first time in history, reach 82.4 million people. The twenty-first century has seen many factors that have contributed to the number of peoples displaced; a global pandemic, climate change, economic crises, a surge in nationalist foreign policies, harsher border policies and domestic as well as interstate conflict. Many people have been left uprooted and unable to stay in their own homes, sometimes even their own country. … Continue readingTHE WORST IS YET TO COME IF WE DON’T ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY – AN UPDATE ON DISPLACEMENT CRISES AND ATTITUDES TO MIGRATION ACROSS THE WORLD
‘Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has stunned the world and left many of us reeling as scenes of horror and destruction are emerging from Eastern Europe. As we near the fourth week of the military conflict, a peaceful resolution for both countries still looks unlikely. NATO and its allies have remained resolute in imposing economic sanctions to oppose Russia, rather than engaging militarily.’
Sneha Ramanan takes a look at the purpose and actual effect of these sanctions. … Continue readingSanctions, Sanctions, Sanctions: What Are They and What Exactly Do They Achieve?
‘The current international security system was designed on the premise of protecting territorial integrity. As enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and other foundational documents of the post-1945 system, sovereign states are supposed to respect the boundaries and political decisions of their neighbours, with this norm taking precedence. Yet, by looking at the current events in Ukraine along with other ongoing territorial disputes, this would be hard to believe.’
Pivot examines the concept of territorial integrity in light of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War … Continue readingTerritorial Integrity since 1945: How the World Has and Hasn’t Changed
The events of this last week can be described by a certain R.E.M song, as it truly is the End of The World as We Know It. It is hard not to imagine that we are living in a new world now after the events of the past couple of weeks. Russia has invaded Ukraine in a conflict that has already claimed, according to UN sources, 802 civilian casualties since it began over a week ago. … Continue readingTHE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT | THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE
Given all that has happened in the realm of international relations recently, it is important that we not forget the devastation that is occurring in Afghanistan. The Taliban takeover in 2021 has created a humanitarian disaster that the international community has not effectively responded to. It is a complex issue which raises questions about how aid could serve as a legitimiser for the Taliban and sees some argue that it is foreign aid that caused this crisis in the first place. This article serves not to argue either side of these debates but rather to share some of the alarming facts, illustrating how dire the situation in Afghanistan still is. … Continue readingThe Situation in Afghanistan