The results of the September 2019 presidential election in Afghanistan led to months of dispute between the two front runners.  The “political agreement” signed on 17 May between incumbent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, for an inclusive government, finally provides a path forward.

Despite reductions in global maternal and child mortality over the last two decades there is still room for improvement, especially in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Pregnancy is therefore a critical time for the promotion and protection of maternal and child health through vaccination. 

Changing the messenger without changing the leader won’t stop Jacinda Ardern being re-elected in the 2020 New Zealand Election. In order to have a shot at success, Todd Muller will need re-frame his party's message for a post-COVID-19 world.

While COVID-19 requires adaptation it hasn’t halted humanitarian work across the Middle East. It might seem strange, but there are parallels between preventing disease and preventing weapon-related deaths.

The current pandemic is increasingly viewed as generating geopolitical swings in an already dynamic Indo-Pacific region. The vast and non-discriminatory character of this disease has created a need for a coordinated response to ensure proper management and preparedness for the post-COVID-19 world.

The Coronavirus public health emergency that began in late 2019 in Wuhan, China has certainly dominated international affairs since it emerged. Going forward, how countries interact with one another will have to be carefully considered.

Over the past decade, the European Union has been under increasing pressure from Brexit, refugee issues, and a recession, but it has overcome each and survived. Now, the situation created by the deadly Coronavirus pandemic leaves the European Union's survival in doubt. 

In the wake of COVID-19, there has been much talk about Australia’s economic reliance on China and the vulnerability this creates. In addition to becoming more self-sufficient, another solution is to diversify trading partners, which is where India comes in.

Every generation of Australian thinkers and policy-makers grapples with the conceptual and practical aspects of engaging Asia. From 2020, a volatile and uncertain strategic environment - profoundly and rapidly re-shaped by the global pandemic - will present new and difficult questions for us all.

By most accounts, China has behaved badly through the COVID-19 pandemic.  Fascinating insights can be derived about China’s present behaviour by looking into its past.