Among the many sad things you see working in violence prevention, one of the saddest is just how useless many violence prevention efforts really are. This is especially apparent in the domestic and gender-based violence spaces, where for all the sound and fury, a myriad of well-intentioned programs wind up signifying nothing.

Protests led by young, educated, urban people against the Thai government and “the Royal Institution” began in the middle of 2020. The protesters have yet to achieve their aims, but they have clearly exposed the disdain with which “the oligarchic establishment” regards them.

This year, the Nobel Peace Prize recognised the inextricable link between hunger and conflict.  With climate change as a further complicating factor, research, investment, and coordination with local farmers are critical for ensuring food security for all.

Strident anti-China political and media exchanges limit reasoned public debate on Sino-American relationship issues.  It is important to remember that many of the institutions that characterise China’s rise can trace their origins to the Asian Financial Crisis.

UN peacekeeping dangerously overlooks the reality that peace operations have both unintended and negative consequences. Any intervention into the politics and culture of a community is bound to create tensions between local practices and foreign peacebuilding practices.

When seen through the prism of technology, globalisation seems to be evolving rather than ebbing. This raises the question of what policymakers can do to prepare themselves for this new phase of globalisation.

The disruptions to international economic cooperation that we have experienced are not all due to the pandemic. The pandemic and US-China strategic competition accentuated dysfunctionalities and tensions that were evident before the pandemic, but they did not create them.

There is nothing sinister in the federal government’s desire to control Australia’s foreign policy. However, proposed legislation to scrutinise “arrangements” between foreign governments and Australia’s states, localities, and public universities fails to recognise the role of subnational actors in promoting economic opportunities and increasing diplomatic engagement.

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Cormann’s nomination for Secretary General of the OECD; DFAT’s statement on Dr Yang Hengjun; changes to visa processes; and more.

The acquittal of senior BJP leaders on charges of criminal conspiracy over the destruction of the Babri mosque in 1992 is not just a legal victory for the party, but a sign that India’s institutions can no longer restrain it. All pretexts of an independent judiciary may well be dropped.