By Alexandros Sainidis Back in the Soviet Union, one of the most common goods smuggled were jeans. Practical, durable, stylish and, above all, cultural. The preference for the jeans was a sign of cultural weakness for Russia and USSR. Now the superpower that has dangerously good momentum is China. Do we want Chinese ‘jeans’ as…
“This has been a hard-fought 10 days against the backdrop of geopolitical complexities, economic challenges and multilateral strains,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “However, one thing remains clear: despite these complexities, all countries clearly want to remain at the table.” Speaking to media at the end of Intergovernmental Negotiating…
Scholarship Background & Intended Outcomes The Australian Institute of International Affairs was proud to have been invited by the late Euan Crone to administer the scholarship program which he created in 2013 following his involvement in study tours to China (2012) and Myanmar (2013) organised by AIIA Victoria. At the time Mr Crone believed that…
new video loaded: Two Decades of Putin Playing the West Recent episodes in Opinion Opinion Video features innovative video journalism commentary — argued essays, Op-Ed videos, documentaries, and fact-based explanation of current affairs. The videos are produced by both outside video makers and The Times’s Opinion Video team. Opinion Video features innovative video journalism commentary…
By Mr. Maverick 2025 has been a very choppy year so far. A chain of highly imponderable developments that have happened during the last years have all boiled down to this very day, where randomness has overshadowed every aspect of our lives and behavior. Events are not well-defined. The element of surprise is now officially…
According to the annual Report of the Secretary-General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, both State and non-State actors were responsible for violations in 21 countries, with the highest numbers recorded in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Somalia and South Sudan. Women and girls made up 92 per cent…
From 7-12 June, AIIA Chief Executive Officer Dr Bryce Wakefield travelled to Warsaw for discussions with Polish government officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defence, the National Security Bureau, and international advisers to the President of Poland at the presidential palace. He also spoke to experts on foreign affairs at the nation’s major…
new video loaded: Russia and Ukraine Continue Drone Attacks Before Putin-Trump Meeting transcript Back transcript Russia and Ukraine Continue Drone Attacks Before Putin-Trump Meeting The Kremlin signaled that apart from Ukraine, it was also interested in discussing other subjects with the U.S., like economic links and nuclear arms. At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr…
Konstantinos Fouzas Taking inspiration from recent US bombings on Iran’s nuclear sites, I remembered the early days of cyberwarfare in the region. You all know Stuxnet and how the US and Israel in a coordinated effort tried to end Iran’s nuclear program once and for all. Spoiler alert, they didn’t. To be fair, Stuxnet managed…
Many of the victims were Alawite, a minority community in Syria, which the former ruling Assad family belonged to. Some community members are believed to have been killed in March by forces or individuals loyal to the country’s new leadership, the National Transitional Authority, which is headed by interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa. In response to…