November 2025
Chile joins swing to right as Trump-style candidate heads to run-off
If the polls are correct, Chile will join a series of Latin American countries, including Argentina and Bolivia, that have shifted to the right in recent years.
Wall Street ‘stops sulking’ and makes overtures to Mamdani
Finance titans like Jamie Dimon, Jane Fraser and Bill Ackman are setting aside their scepticism and offering to help the new socialist New York City mayor.
October 2025
Why the Coalition can’t win without losing itself
The Coalition faces not a messaging challenge but a structural impossibility. Voters abandoning them won’t be satisfied by marginally tougher rhetoric.
Japan’s Iron Lady has a tough to-do list
Sanae Takaichi takes control of a tired old party amid a cost-of-living crisis, unsustainable national debt, a tariff war with the US and rising China tensions.
Takaichi set to become Japan’s first female PM
Sanae Takaichi has won the race to lead Japan’s ruling party, putting her on course to emulate her hero, former British leader Margaret Thatcher.
September 2025
‘$1b for a ship tunnel’: Is Norway too rich for its own good?
Norwegians fear their wealth is making them lazy and complacent. Value for money was a key campaign issue in the rich Nordic country’s just-held election.
August 2025
Trump stormed back on a vibe. But it’s all downhill from here
In a nation that has been 50-50 all century, the mistake is to ever believe that someone is in the ascendant. This northern summer is the president’s peak.
How Britain lost the status game
Voters want their government to do something to change the direction of events dragging down the once-powerful empire. But what if it can’t?
July 2025
Problems with the Productivity Commission
Readers’ letters on the Productivity Commission’s submission, corporate taxes, and the power of positivity.
These young nationalists are trying to shake up Japanese politics
Japan’s far-right Sanseito party just broke into the mainstream, with orange vans, YouTube rage, and promises to put the “Japanese First”.
Why I changed my mind about cutting the voting age to 16
Young Australians are not ignorant, no, but the way we absorb politics encourages ignorance.
Japan’s PM in crisis as Trump-inspired parties take hold
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba suffered a severe setback at upper house elections largely fought over immigration and the rising cost of living.
Albo dancing a diplomatic two-step to control tensions with China
Rather than adopt Scott Morrison’s He-Man approach, Anthony Albanese has taken Kevin Rudd’s advice and turned down the volume of Australia’s Sino strategy.
June 2025
Dutch government collapses after far-right leader quits coalition
The prime minister announced his resignation hours after anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition for failing to back tougher migration policies.
Liberal opposition candidate elected South Korea’s new president
The toughest external challenges awaiting Lee Jae-myung are US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and North Korea’s advancing nuclear program.
May 2025
Germany confirms new leader after historic setback in leaders’ vote
A frenetic day in German politics saw Friedrich Merz finally clinch the chancellorship after a stunning first-round defeat in a parliamentary vote.
Romanian PM resigns after surge in far-right vote
The European nation has been gripped by a political crisis as a candidate aligned with Donald Trump rocketed in presidential elections.
Singapore voters embrace stability as Trump roils global trade
Lawrence Wong and his team warned inviting more opposition into government could create instability at the wrong time for trade-dependent island state.
Nigel Farage wins key election in blow to Starmer
The Donald Trump ally hailed his party’s byelection win in a traditional heartland area for Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.
April 2025
Mark Carney won, but there will be no honeymoon
The newly elected PM told Canadians he was the right person to stand up to Donald Trump and boost the country’s lacklustre economy. Now he has to do it.