International Affairs
Shorter America This Week: Ceasefire?; Madman theory; Group hugs in space
It isn’t always easy to keep up with what’s happening in the US. “Shorter America” is a series where Dr Emma Shortis loops you in on what’s going on in America and shares news and analysis that you can trust.
Australia has significant power in the world, we should be using it more wisely
Australia is not a small nation with no agency.
Pacific nations step up push for fossil fuel phase-out ahead of global talks
Pacific leaders are preparing to meet in Vanuatu to agree on a unified position ahead of the first global conference on transitioning away from oil, coal, and gas later in the year.
The Wrap: A missed opportunity to face reality
Last night, the Australian Prime Minister had the chance to face reality. His address to the nation was a recognition that Australians are deeply worried about the state of the world – as they should be. What the prime minister did not say is that this trouble lies at the feet of the President of the United States.
Don’t listen to Norway: CCS will lock in fossil fuels in the middle of a climate crisis
If you hear it as it’s told by Norway’s Ambassador to Australia, Anne Grete Riise, carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been a mind-blowing success over here where I live, in the land of brown cheese and black oil. But the interview paints a dangerously overstated view, failing to highlight the reality of how CCS has played out in Norway. Not only are we not a ‘best case’, but we also demonstrate the ways in which CCS can distract from real decarbonisation efforts.
Shorter America This Week: Maximum Lethality; Everything has a history; Don't fly with me
It isn’t always easy to keep up with what’s happening in the US. “Shorter America” is a series where Dr Emma Shortis loops you in on what’s going on in America and shares news and analysis that you can trust.
Gas export tax won’t harm trade or diplomacy despite industry scare campaign claims
Will a gas export tax harm our diplomatic relationships? No. Foreign companies being sad about having to pay some tax in Australia is quite different to foreign countries losing trust in Australia as a reliable trade partner.
China emerges as quiet winner from Trump’s Iran war
China is emerging as a quiet winner from Donald Trump’s escalating war in Iran, with its economy largely shielded from the worst of the global energy crisis.
Soaring petrol prices have exposed a ‘rotten core’ in Australia
So much of what passes for Australian political discourse relies on existential threats. It’s easy to make grandiose statements and take positions when the threat is some amorphous vague maybe that could possibly happen.
