After the victory of Silvio Berlusconi's candidate in last weekend's Sicilian election, and with prospects of a Berlusconi comeback in the 2018 national poll, it's time to reconsider the Italian political landscape in the wake of major electoral reform. 

The stand-off at the asylum seeker detention centre on Manus Island has created a predictable crisis with no clear long-term resolution and potentially serious consequences for Australia-PNG bilateral relations.

The push for Catalan independence has triggered one of Spain's biggest crises in decades. How did it come to this? Is there a way forward?

Despite economic challenges and recent domestic strife, South Africa is working towards a strong future. Combatting corruption and pursing international economic and political collaboration will be important steps.

In 1917, the Balfour Declaration sparked one of the longest unresolved international disputes in modern history. At its centenary, Arab-Israeli troubles look no closer to ending.

International aid is in desperate need of a complete shift in direction, one which is focused on building local capacity, incorporating emerging technology and genuine collaboration.

Did the Pact of Paris of 1928 successfully outlaw war? Many historians have argued to the contrary but this engagingly written and thought-provoking book seeks to establish that it did.

The recently announced Australian space agency opens a new frontier for opportunity but the country must prepare its legislation for the journey into outer space.

Since mid-October, Somalia's fragile calm has been broken by terrorist attacks. Militant group al-Shabaab has been blamed for the massive Mogadishu attack and the violence means Somalia's future is again in jeopardy.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe maintained his commanding majority in Japan's election but constitutional revision, Abe's pet project, may still be a long shot.