Johan van der Merwe  | Africa Fellow Image sourced from U.S. Navy photo by Gillian M. Brigham via Wikimedia Commons . The second presidency of Donald Trump has led to unprecedented and prolonged tension between South Africa and the United States (US). On the one hand, the US is increasingly viewing international affairs as a contest for economic dominance, power and ideological influence. On the other hand, South Africa is determined to pursue its own independent path in global diplomacy...

Mikey Glover | Climate and Environment Fellow Image sourced from James Shook via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=604397 Amid rampant biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and the consequences of climate change, Australia has recently passed environmental protection reforms. However, it is not incremental change that is needed, but a fundamental development in how we approach the natural world. With increasing global support, the “Rights of Nature”   offers a new...

Max Martin | Australian Foreign Policy Fellow Image sourced from Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team NASA GSFC via Wikimedia Commons . During the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Australia (WA) was widely labelled the “Hermit Kingdom” for its strict border closures and physical distance from the rest of Australia. That perception of remoteness has endured. Yet in the context of accelerating Indo-Pacific competition, WA’s significance can no longer be treated as peripheral. The state has...