The Foreign Desk

As the right engages in fearmongering and the left struggles with coherent messaging, can immigration be reformed? Is shutting the door effective? And how does anyone win against those who want to sh…

There has been an uptick in St George’s flags festooned on buildings and spray-painted over road signs in England. But why, despite right-wing associations, is Labour endorsing the practice?

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The US Navy sets sail for Venezuela. What does president Trump hope to accomplish with this gunboat diplomacy? How has president Maduro clung to power and will the US ever leave South America alone?

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For the first time ever, Australia has expelled an ambassador. But why is Iran’s Ahmad Sadeghi packing his bags and what does it have to do with antisemitic attacks?

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As president Trump’s isolationist leanings become US foreign policy, is the era of the American hegemony over? Did the US lead us somewhere worthwhile? And if the US recedes, who steps up?

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Myanmar’s military, which has held power since 2021, has announced a general election for later this year. Has Myanmar suddenly become a democracy? Or is something else afoot? 

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Israel was once regarded as an essentially left-wing project. Now, the country has grown more conservative, defensive and, some would argue, extreme. Is a liberal Israel recoverable? And might that l…

The Balochistan Liberation Army has been reclassified by the US as a “foreign terrorist organization”. But why the sudden interest in a Pakistani bête noire?

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Political leaders around the world face waning popularity and seem to be unable to change their fates. Is this the result of less effective leaders or more impatient electorates?

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Jair Bolsonaro was placed under house arrest after breaking pre-trial rules this week as he faces charges for attempting to stage a coup. But why is Trump throwing his support behind Brazil’s former …

International pressure mounts on Israel to end its war in Gaza, which has been dubbed a “catastrophe of epic proportions” by the UN. Plus: we examine the prospect of a Palestinian state.

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This week, militants attached to Islamic State attacked a church in Komanda, killing at least 43 people. Why is the jihadist group keen to establish itself in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

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Cameroon’s 92 year-old president Paul Biya seeks re-election to extend his 43-year tenure. We investigate the long and often violent conflict in his country. Is Anglo-Franco reconciliation possible? …

Andrew Mueller examines the fatal clashes between Druze and Bedouin Syrians.

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A Lesotho MP is facing charges after accusing the country’s monarch of signing over land to its neighbour, South Africa. Andrew Mueller explains the history and prospects of this decidedly niche terr…

From drones to radios, the war in Ukraine has rapidly accelerated technical development. In this fast-evolving landscape, what does the future of warfare hold and will humans have a role on the battl…

Recent Filipino elections were, arguably, a political episode of family feud. We examine the creation and durability of political dynasties. Plus: a banned would-be Thai leader explains how to run ag…

Russia has become the first country to recognise the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government. Andrew Mueller explains why. 

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As last year’s rapid descent of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad attests, when a dictator falls, they fall fast. But what are the conditions under which that fall occurs? And how can they be sparked…

Andrew Mueller explains the relocation ballot being offered to Tuvaluans by Australia and what’s in it for the host nation.

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