INSIGHTS

The monster cyclone that ravaged Vanuatu on March 14 must provide a wake-up call for Australian policymakers. Though Australia already substantially supports its Pacific neighbours through development assistance, these efforts will require a boost in coming decades to better respond to humanitarian emergencies and prevent destabilisation due to natural disasters. Australia has a long history of supporting Pacific Island nations in times of hardship and unrest, as well as in t

The ability of states to access, control and restrict secure online communications is incredibly important. Recent allegations of inappropriate conduct by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continue to plague the U.S. State Department as more details emerge as to the extent of the lapses in security caused by Clinton’s use of a personal email address. In place of using an official .gov email address, Clinton conducted official business on her personal email address whi

While governments continue to contend with the proliferation of traditional terrorist networks, rogue states and staple criminal activities such as drug smuggling and fraud, the immersion of the cyber realm into society has forced governments to engage with these emerging threats in increasingly sophisticated and unprecedented ways. Among the many users of cyberspace, hacktivists are coming under increasing scrutiny by states to curb what is deemed disruptive and illegal beha

Comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, comprehensively deepening reforms, comprehensively implementing the rule of law, and comprehensively strengthening Party discipline – these are the concepts behind Xi Jinping’s new ‘strategic blueprint’ for China, namely, the ‘Four Comprehensives’. On Wednesday, the People’s Daily – the official paper of the Communist Party of China (CPC) – published a front page editorial titled, ‘The People’s Daily’s first authoritat

When the current government came into power in September 2013, it promised a foreign policy with greater focus on Indonesia as both a strategic ally and diplomatic partner. This rhetoric has thus far been largely unsubstantiated. While there has been a noticeable escalation of ties with East Asia – as in the highly publicised free trade agreements and Abbott’s ill-advised Japan as “best friend” remark – relations with Jakarta have stagnated and suffered through crises. There

News from the United States has been dominated by the potential shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Principally motivated by President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration, congressional Republicans have sought to use their control on DHS funding to demonstrate their disapproval. However, with only days before the January 27th funding deadline and with no end in sight, the obvious questions to ask is “how did this happen?” and “what now?” The ans

The scene was, in most ways, tragically familiar. The 21 men in orange jumpsuits – characteristic of prisoners held by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) – being led to their deaths by ISIS fighters clad in black. The disconcerting difference between the murder of 21 (mostly Egyptian) Coptic Christians and other hostages held and subsequently killed by ISIS is that this mass execution took places on the shores of the Mediterranean, just over 300 kilometres from the

A month ago, a diverse coalition of parties and political, ethnic, and faith-based groupings led Sri Lanka to an election upset. The ousted Mahinda Rajapaksa, an increasingly autocratic ruler intent on strengthening both his domestic grip and strategic ties with other autocratic regional states, was sidelined by Maithripala Sirisena in what has been called ‘a blow for democracy’. This opens an uncharted chapter in Sri Lankan political history soon after the cessation of long-