Climate disruptions threaten populations across the globe and will increasingly do so. But climate change is unfair – poor and marginalised populations in developing countries are hit especially hard, and women are too often at the forefront.

The Micronesian states' decision to withdraw from the Pacific Islands Forum has fractured the esteemed organisation in a deep and potentially disruptive way for Pacific regionalism. The question of where we go from here remains unanswered.

India and Nepal’s enduring border disputes have repeatedly provoked nationalist movements and protests in Nepal and alienated Nepal from India. Resolving the disputes through cooperative rather than coercive measures will be critical for India’s ambition to become a “responsible” rising power.

Donald Trump’s recent executive order calling for a ban of social video broadcasting app TikTok in the United States has sparked outrage and ignited a debate about digital media security. Antagonism toward TikTok is more reflective of Trump's anti-China rhetoric than a genuine security concern.

Australian-British academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert remains imprisoned in Iran on charges of espionage after attending an academic conference in Qom two years ago. Her mounting psychological distress is exacerbated by the prevalence of  COVID-19, and a renewed call for action is essential.

Human traffickers swiftly adapted to border closures and other measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, victims have been exposed to further exploitation, with access to essential services restricted.

Climate change has a hand in nearly all of the issues American voters consider most important in the upcoming presidential election. In most swing states, however, voters would have to look closely to see what their economic and healthcare woes have to do with climate change. 

While the involvement of external actors in the Afghan conflict is not new, such external influence has increased since 2001. Too many players with divergent interests pose a challenge to the success of a peace deal in Afghanistan.

For all the concern this year that political tensions between Australia and China might harm trade and investment, this isn’t the most acute stress in the bilateral relationship. Compared with the battering that people-to-people ties are receiving, the current economic dramas rate a distant second.

The lives of women and girls in the Pacific have been deeply impacted by COVID-19, and the consequences of the pandemic may continue […]

COVID-19 restrictions have set forth grossly violent police behaviour in Kenya. This has become a source of major humanitarian concern.