The Indian diaspora is the fastest-growing in Australia.  The Australian government's recent discriminatory response to towards citizens attempting to return to Australia has presented challenges to Australia-India relations.

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Fifield on Israel, the end of Adamson’s term as DFAT Secretary, flights from India resuming, and more.

Last year, the Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled for the first time in its then 64-year history. This year’s Eurovision is a socially distanced affair, with frequent COVID testing of participants.

Germany will go the polls on 26 September 2021, and after 16 years in the Chancellor’s Office, Angela Merkel will finally retire. With less than five months to go, the outcome of the election is absolutely open.

After ten years of conflict, Syria presents a log-jam of competing forces that seem impossible to pull apart in the search for a solution. While all parties profess they must keep trying for their optimal solutions, some may be showing signs of fatigue.

After Tokyo was awarded the Olympics nine years ago, the Japanese public strongly supported the event, which offered hope of social and economic revitalisation after decades in the doldrums. But Tokyo 2020 has proved a curse rather than a cure.

Kishore Mahbubani argues the US has launched a contest with China, while ignoring the advice that geopolitical sage George Kenen gave America during the Cold War. Namely, that it should maintain spiritual vitality at home, cultivate friends all over the world, not insult its adversary, and be humble.

This week in Australian foreign affairs: civil penalties for entering Australia from India, Payne’s trips to Europe and the United States, diplomatic appointments, and more.

Leaders across the world are increasingly under pressure to deliver strategies to deal with the deadly virus. Brazil’s recent cabinet reshuffle comes as the summation of several events that have been unfolding since May last year.