This Month
Labor accused of payback against think tank for its criticism of China
A government review wants to rein in public funding for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, which has been highly critical of China and keeps an office in Washington.
November
Australia’s gender divide: Why young men and women are pulling apart
There is mounting evidence that more directionless young men are looking for validation that they have been badly done by.
Why Trump’s win unnerved women everywhere
The battle over abortion didn’t play out as the Democrats hoped, while Donald Trump succeeded in tapping into a much more pronounced gender divide.
October
LEGO the next brick in Vietnam’s investment story
As market observers ponder China’s latest stimulus package, Hanoi is hopeful attention will shift to its fast-growing economy.
Back to the ’70s: Why we’re fighting about abortion rights again
Veteran activists are shocked by the noisy resurfacing of the political minority that views abortion as a crime.
September
Australia’s ‘brain boxes’ are a growing source of covert power
These research and advocacy institutes are on the rise. But to get the funding, they need to be seen.
August
- Exclusive
- Defence
Prominent think tank fears the loss of its ‘superpower’
The rarefied world of public intellectuals and scholars is braced for a bombshell following a government review into think tank funding.
July
- Opinion
- Fertility
Me, my niece and a generational shift in thinking about babies
The “happy accidents” that led to so many families having three or more children are a lot less likely to happen now.
June
Why Israel doesn’t care what the world thinks
The international community thinks Israel is fighting a war of choice. Israel doesn’t see it that way, says US writer and author Bret Stephens.
The ‘fundamental gap’ in the UN Gaza peace plan explained
Neither Hamas nor Israel will agree to the proposal without at least one significant change, according to policy experts.
- Updated
All change as Prabowo prepares for the top job
Economic nationalism has been a constant in Indonesia and the incoming President has some firm views on the topic.
A win for democracy as Modi’s BJP is taken down a peg
The surprising result should put to bed claims that India’s democracy is under threat, says former high commissioner Barry O’Farrell.
May
Rich Lister Charlie Shahin’s hopes for peace in Gaza
Seven decades ago Charlie Shahin’s parents were forced out of Palestine. This weekend he is on the way back to the Middle East.
‘River to the Sea’ explained in one map and two charts
The slogan is a kind of Rorschach test for people in the pro-Israel and pro-Palestine camps – and Canberra is struggling to bridge the gap.
The history of the two-state solution (in six maps)
The world is still searching for a path to peaceful co-existence by Israelis and Palestinians.
- Updated
Has Julie Bishop taken on an impossible task?
The military is losing ground in Myanmar. What follows could be a failed state – and Australia’s former foreign minister will be right in the thick of it.
Wong warns on foreign interference after Indian spies expelled
Revelations Indian spies were asked to leave Australia in 2020 suggest Western intelligence agencies are unhappy about New Delhi’s espionage tactics.
April
- Analysis
- Terror charges
Why so many younger men are so angry
Australia’s ‘crisis of male violence against women’ reflects a growing gender divide triggered by alienation and resentment, researchers say.
How to make money being Paul Keating
Thank god for writing royalties, says Jonathan Biggins, who reckons politics is stuck on repeat and the new puritanism is hard to poke fun at.
March
Singapore power brokers will decide Optus’ future
Optus’ parent Singtel will take advice from some of the most powerful people in Singapore as it considers selling part of the Australian telecommunications group.