16 Dec 2024
Southeast Asia’s death penalty laws: The ultimate political game
The region’s diverse policies on executions are about more than the war on crime.
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4 Dec 2024
Australia’s chance to align global efforts against “hostage diplomacy”
A new senate report has set out sensible recommendations for a fresh approach on wrongful detention of Australians overseas. -
13 Nov 2024
The declining fortunes of Afghanistan’s women
Is the International Court of Justice a toothless tiger, or can a new legal battle truly turn the tide for women and girls? -
8 Oct 2024
The UK deal on Diego Garcia is positive, but it won’t reverse declining support for the rules-based order
China and Russia might argue this is just another example of Western countries gaming the system to suit themselves. -
2 Oct 2024
What lies beneath: There’s more to cables than geopolitics
The undersea cable industry is left to tackle the challenges, while policymakers engage in national security power plays. -
10 Sep 2024
A first step on the long road to global AI regulation
It didn’t make headlines but the US and EU came together last week to sign an important treaty – leaving partners such as Australia with a choice. -
6 Sep 2024
Russian sanctions: Why has Australia stayed quiet on reparations?
With strong rule of law credentials and expertise, Canberra should use its advantage in responses to war. -
4 Sep 2024
Will Russia violate the Antarctic Treaty?
For Moscow, science has always come second to ideology. -
3 Sep 2024
Hong Kong keeps Russia’s dark fleet afloat
Operating under flags of convenience, hundreds of vessels are evading the sanctions meant to stifle movement. -
28 Aug 2024
Maid in Australia: When international relations and industrial law collide
Two recent court cases have raised uncomfortable questions about diplomatic immunity. -
27 Aug 2024
Hostage diplomacy: Fresh ideas to end a modern blight
A new Australian senate inquiry into the practice of imprisonment for leverage offer a chance to learn from international experience. -
20 Aug 2024
Australia–ASEAN maritime cooperation: A focus on the whole risks losing sight of the parts
Tailored programs accounting for individual country needs will have greater influence. -
7 Aug 2024
The dehumanisation danger
Language matters and the protections of international law are crucial for persons deprived of liberty. -
1 Aug 2024
The Yazidi still wait for justice
Australia also has obligations when its citizens are accused of the worst of all crimes. -
31 Jul 2024
Long arm of the law: China’s extraterritorial reach
Political as much as legal considerations dictate the way Beijing exercises its laws – from Hong Kong to beyond. -
22 Jul 2024
The deadly consequences of misclassifying foreign fighters in Ukraine
Russia calls them mercenaries to deny international legal protections. Accountability is essential. -
19 Jul 2024
Does democracy still matter in the ‘New Cold War’ between the US and China?
Contradictions between the two models of governance make coexistence among superpowers difficult. -
19 Jul 2024
Rising tensions over outer space – a new diplomatic hot zone
There is concern over the growing threat of space and counterspace weapon capabilities. -
20 Jun 2024
Overcoming the deliberate legal ambiguity adopted by China’s coast guard
A new order is telling of Beijing’s selective and ongoing effort to undermine the law of the sea. -
22 May 2024
No, a pandemic treaty will not usurp Australia’s sovereignty
Damaging disinformation harms negotiations and seeks to obscure the fact that states make their own policy decisions. -
30 Apr 2024
The need for a convention on crimes against humanity
Closing a legal gap would ensure the spirit of the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals is established in international law. -
27 Feb 2024
Antarctic diplomacy and the critical role of inspection mechanisms
The future of the Antarctic Treaty System relies on laws that both foster cooperation and manage tensions. -
22 Feb 2024
In defence of Aung San Suu Kyi
Many in Myanmar have condemned what they perceive as seriously flawed Western criticism of the Burmese ex-leader. -
13 Feb 2024
Russia’s shadow tanker fleet runs into trouble
Every day, millions of barrels of oil are being transported by ships with obscured ownership and origin. But is the game up? -
11 Jan 2024
By default not design: the end of the asylum consensus
Ever since Australia adopted the “Pacific Solution”, norm busting has become the norm. -
21 Dec 2023
A jurisdiction over the high seas
Australia will be a key player in the new agreement governing the globe’s largest natural habitat. -
7 Dec 2023
Does the world have any energy left to cope with another war?
Talk of conflict between South American countries Venezuela and Guyana has suddenly flared over a longstanding border dispute. -
6 Dec 2023
The Fix: A death in Malta
Uncovering the murky business of corruption and graft too often puts journalists’ lives at risk. -
4 Dec 2023
Learning to live in a world without progress
Optimistic about the trajectory of human society? That’s brave. -
4 Dec 2023
How to stop any repeat of the Australia-China sonar incident
A regional deal to close a loophole relating to the use of sonar in international law could be a good place to start. -
2 Oct 2023
The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19
Poverty, institutional incapacity and budget cuts fuelled a surge in pandemic piracy. The lessons are many. -
20 Sep 2023
How China sees its conflict with the Philippines
Taiwan, the ten-dash line, and an ever-present US are driving a wedge between Manila and Beijing. -
18 Sep 2023
Testimonial therapy: Buddhism’s influence in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge tribunal
Faith-based interventions and criminal prosecutions can innovatively meet. -
6 Sep 2023
The sticky case of Indonesia, a seized Iranian oil tanker, and legal jurisdiction
An intercepted ship-to-ship transfer raises a series of interlinked questions about sanctions, pollution and the reach of international law. -
30 Aug 2023
Europe’s last war
Remembering the Bosnian conflict of 30 years ago to compare how the world responds to Russia’s war on Ukraine today. -
4 Aug 2023
Archipelago angst: How Indonesia and the US differ on air routes over sea lanes
UNCLOS ambiguity, again. -
27 Jul 2023
Nuclear weapons: “Oppenheimer” won’t make a difference, but Australia can
The movie missed a chance to galvanise a renewed campaign, to better protect against existential danger than rely on sheer dumb luck. -
25 Jul 2023
Cluster munitions: A necessary defensive strategy for Ukraine
It is Russia, not Ukraine, abusing international principles. The law must not obstruct Ukraine to fight back. -
18 Jul 2023
Regulating artificial intelligence: How the EU just got us closer
In these times of high-tech angst, a new draft Act passed in the European Parliament sets the scene for the future of AI. -
6 Jun 2023
US-China: A Cold War lesson to apply “rules of the road” at sea
Soviet and American warships had a code to prevent dangerous encounters and the US and China should have the same. -
5 Jun 2023
Lessons from history: Comparing Australia’s response to war crimes with the United States
The fallout from the Ben Roberts-Smith case is only the beginning of a reckoning about justice in war. -
23 May 2023
It’s time Australia branded Russia’s Wagner Group a terrorist organisation
A record of abuses in conflicts from Ukraine to Africa makes designating the Russian group the right choice. -
5 Apr 2023
What of the Rohingya? The ICC, Ukraine, and limits of “international” justice
The International Criminal Court will always be seen as a selective tool unless states agree to decide cases on need. -
23 Mar 2023
A new battlefield: the need for regulations to govern Near Space
International space agreements do not define “outer space” for the purpose of space activities – and that’s a problem. -
21 Mar 2023
Could Indonesia legally stop transit by nuclear-powered AUKUS subs?
International law includes passage rights for all vessels in archipelagic waters – during peace or wartime. -
19 Jan 2023
The acid test: legal moves to force action on climate change
Small island states are now adopting a determined strategy of “lawfare” to bring attention to environmental threats. -
12 Jan 2023
The hard road to justice for Russian war crimes
Prosecution of war crimes in Ukraine are crucial to maintain international law and the peace and security it promotes. -
3 Nov 2022
Ashmore Reef resurfaces as a maritime headache
A loose arrangement between Australia and Indonesia over the uninhabited islands is set to become a little less loose. -
20 Sep 2022
The Rohingya issue requires a regional solution
Leaving close to a million people in limbo poses a danger not only for the refugees but to regional peace. -
5 Sep 2022
Web3 is coming – with national security implications, too
A new internet for the people and by the people is on the horizon. But decentralised power has its own problems.