“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?
Australia’s relationship to the Pacific has been a complicated one, to say the least. We are one of the largest powers in the region, with a huge landmass relative to our neighbours, a developed economy, and powerful allies in the U.S. and the U.K. Compared to some of our closest neighbours such as the Solomon Islands, we are a whale amongst minnows. Yet if we expand our view out from our “backyard” to the broader Indo-Pacific, we see Australia is dwarfed by some serious powers. India, Japan, South Korea, China, and the U.S. are all exerting influence in the region and Australia is doing its level best to maintain its own interests amongst these. … Continue readingKISSING UP AND KICKING DOWN: AUSTRALIA IN THE PACIFIC
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?