Global demand for rare metals is rapidly rising. Guillaume Pitron explores and exposes the geopolitical, economic, environmental, and societal impacts of securing supplies of these raw materials.

This week in Australian foreign affairs: the suspension of passenger flights from India, Morrison at Biden’s Leaders’ Summit on Climate, Payne on the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting, and more.

New Zealand sees Five Eyes as a practical intelligence-sharing agreement not a foreign policy coordination mechanism. This stems less from a fear of economic retaliation from Beijing than from its national identity and conceptualisation of its regional interests.

Last week, the government of Yemen started to administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The vaccination campaign has become the latest source of dispute in a country that has been at war since 2014.

The Australia-China relationship is in a parlous state. Claims and counter-claims are made about whether China or Australia is most at fault, and there is debate about what is ultimately the root cause of this decline. 

Australia is assisting its near neighbours, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, in their fight against COVID-19. Beyond a humanitarian response, Australia’s support also reflects a deeper motive in an increasingly strategically challenged region.

Joko Widodo’s victory in the presidential race in 2014 challenged the previously elitist political establishment. His victory represented change, however Widodo's vision of modern Indonesia has not been realised.

Eliminating malaria from the Asia Pacific by 2030 is an ambitious but achievable goal. It will require sustained political commitment combined with renewed investment in research and development to overcome the unique complexities of malaria in our region.

This week in Australian foreign affairs: the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan; the cancellation of four arrangements between Victoria and foreign governments; Frances Adamson at the Asia Society; and more.

America’s decision to pull out its remaining troops from Afghanistan and thus facilitate a probable Taliban military take-over is bad news for Pakistan and the region in the long-term. It may result in a resurgence of terrorism, rise in refugees, and tensions across borders.

It is now 20 years since the routing of the Taliban government following the September 11 terrorist attacks against the US. The withdrawal of US and allied forces from Afghanistan represents the failure by stakeholders in finding a durable political solution.