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Kazakhstan’s Turn to Nuclear
When it comes to nuclear power, Australian and Kazakhstan share many similarities with both countries currently considering their nuclear futures. While Australian opposition leader, Peter Dutton continues to advocate for the development of a domestic nuclear power industry as part of his 2025 election campaign, Kazakhstan’s government is moving ahead with construction of its first…
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The Language of Landscapes in Palestine and Australia
Earlier this year, in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump asserted the US would not only take over Gaza but transform it into what he described as the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’. His comments have been roundly criticised as tantamount to a violation of the Geneva convention, which…
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Central Asian Migration Patterns and Their Implications for Australia
Only small numbers of Central Asia migrants make their way to Australia yet the experience in the broader Asia Pacific suggests that this could be a missed opportunity for Australia to benefit from skilled Central Asian migrants.
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Turkmenistan’s Political Future amid Growing Australian Ties
The strengthening of ties between Australia and Turkmenistan comes as domestic politics in the Central Asian states settles into a new pattern following last year’s leadership transition.
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The Assassination of Haniyeh and the Fragility of Iranian Security
The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran not only underscores profound vulnerabilities within Iranian intelligence but also could potentially mark a shift in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. Likely orchestrated by Mossad, this operation exploited critical weaknesses in Iran’s Communications Intelligence (COMINT) and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), revealing not just external penetrations but possibly…
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A Weaker Taliban After Three Years in Power
Is the Taliban as strong as it looks? The group continues to face several problems it is either unable or unwilling to solve. While seemingly secure in the short-term, it could threaten to undermine its hold on power in the coming years.
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Are the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea a Solidarity Campaign or a Ruse? – or is not the Right Question
Recently, there has been a surge of interest in Yemen following the Houthi military campaign attacking ships traversing the Red Sea. But why and how have their campaigns increased the groups popularity both regionally and beyond?
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Central Asia and the Conflict in Ukraine: Russia-Friendly Neutrality
Since the onset of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have adopted a neutral stance towards the conflict. Their leaders have carefully avoided passing value judgement on the war which Dushanbe, for one, still calls “an incident that occurred between the two states” …
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Political fragmentation and slow diplomacy: Yemen’s long road to peace?
In April this year, the Omani-mediated peace talks between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia marked a hopeful move towards finally ending the proxy war in Yemen. This was an expected step following the Iranian-Saudi détente brokered by China a month earlier. Since then, officials from both sides have met for several rounds of talks,…
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Taliban’s Water Claims Ignite Tensions with Neighbours
When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, it raised concerns in neighbouring countries about their own security. The governments in most of the Central Asian countries, and in Iran were hostile toward the Taliban when the militant group ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s. There are now other Islamic extremist groups…
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Indigenous – Palestinian solidarity networks challenging settler colonialism in Australia
Increasingly networks are forming between Indigenous and Palestinian groups through a shared experience of colonisation. In recent years, there has been a shift at the grassroots level in Australia in support of the Palestinian cause. Solidarity networks between the Palestinian diaspora and Indigenous communities are growing wider and deeper. This has charted a new course…
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Covid-19 and Egypt’s Informal Economy
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For many Egyptians and policymakers alike, Egypt’s informal sector represents both a blessing and a curse. Through ease of entry, it provides employment for those shut out of the formal…
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Iran’s Continued Expansion in Southern Syria
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The Syrian regime forces besieged Daraa al-Balad area at the beginning of last August 2021, when the forces of the Iranian-backed Fourth Division brought military reinforcements to the area, and…
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Gulf Energy Set to Win in Climate Action
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Climate pressure is tilting the global oil business in favour of the giant state-owned oil companies in the Persian Gulf. As oil demand plateaus and starts to decline, these firms…
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Economics Driving China’s interest in Egypt
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On 30 June, a Chinese State Construction and Engineering Company (CSCEC) work crew lifted into place a steel skyway connecting two office buildings in the Central Business District (CBD) of…
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COVID-19 and Iraq’s Fractured Healthcare System
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In July of this year, a fire tore through the COVID-19 isolation ward of Iraq’s al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in the city of Nasiriyah. At least 64 people were killed and…
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Libya at a crossroads, again
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The current strategic and political situation in Libya seems almost unrecognizable from the perspective of just a year ago. For the first time in nearly a decade, Libya appears to…
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China as a new Gulf mediator?
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China’s relationship to the Gulf could be changing. Previously, it avoided conflict and risk, which helped it establish good diplomatic relations and expand its commercial ties in the region. That…
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Turkmenistan food crisis – a threat to regime stability?
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Turkmenistan has been facing an increasing crisis of food, primary products, and cash shortages. The crisis is a result of lower natural gas prices, Turkmenistan’s primary export, and a Chinese…
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Hope and risk in Qatar’s investment environment
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Launched in June 2017, the so-called ‘blockade’ of Qatar by the ‘Anti-Terror Quartet’—comprising Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt—appeared to finally come to an end on 5…
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Looking south: Central Asia and Afghanistan
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After nearly two decades, the current manifestation of conflict in Afghanistan may be coming to an end. The United States and representatives of the Taliban signed an agreement in February…