The threat to regional security ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week flew to the Pacific on a mission to bolster regional security, but he left with a firm message: Australia needs a better climate policy.

On his way to the Pacific Islands Forum, the prime minister stopped by Vanuatu hoping to finalise a security deal. But it was postponed – reportedly because some members of the Vanuatu government were concerned it would limit infrastructure funding from China.

Wesley Morgan was in the Solomon Islands for the forum. He writes that against a backdrop of China’s rising influence, Pacific leaders were very clear: climate change is their greatest threat. If Australia wants to become the Pacific’s security partner of choice, reducing emissions – and curbing fossil fuel exports – is non-negotiable.“

Nicole Hasham

Energy + Environment Editor

 

Fossil fuel expansion or Pacific security? Albanese is learning Australia can’t have both

Wesley Morgan, UNSW Sydney

If Australia’s geo-strategic jostling in the Pacific is to work, we must show serious commitment to curbing global warming.

Best reads this week

Charlie Kirk’s assassination is the latest act of political violence in a febrile United States

Jared Mondschein, University of Sydney

The 31-year-old, who was shot and killed while speaking at a university in Utah, was a highly influential figure in conservative politics.

Can Israel use self-defence to justify its strike on Qatar under the law?

Shannon Bosch, Edith Cowan University

There are a number of criteria that must be met to claim self-defence, especially when it comes to a non-state actor like Hamas.

Deadly Nepal protests reflect a wider pattern of Gen Z political activism across Asia

DB Subedi, The University of Queensland

The youth who shook Nepal’s streets are being asked to help shape the country’s political future – can it work?

Murdoch resolves succession drama – a win for Lachlan; a loss for public interest journalism

Andrew Dodd, The University of Melbourne; Matthew Ricketson, Deakin University

After a lengthy and bitter dispute, the future of the media empire after Rupert Murdoch’s death has been resolved – and son Lachlan is to take the reins.

The ANU was set up to be a ‘national asset’. Here are 3 ways it can return to its original mission

Benjamin T. Jones, CQUniversity Australia

After months of pressure, Australian National University vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell has resigned. This creates a unique opportunity for the federal government.

TC Weekly podcast

How ‘sovereign citizens’ around the world draw on similar pseudo-law arguments – podcast

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

Criminologist Keiran Hardy talks to The Conversation Weekly podcast about the origins of the sovereign citizen movement, and how it started in Australia with Prince Leonard.

Our most-read article this week

Deadlier than varroa, a new honey-bee parasite is spreading around the world

Jean-Pierre Scheerlinck, The University of Melbourne

The tropi mite spreads faster, kills colonies more quickly, and is harder to control with existing methods.

In case you missed this week's big stories

Political extremes
"Charlie Kirk's death shouldn't become a rallying point for a "civil war" any more so than the murder of state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, or the attempted murder of state senator John Hoffman and his wife only three months ago. This extreme political divide between the left and right is a direct result of the culture of hate promoted by the US commander in chief, and a stain on the ideals espoused by the US founding fathers."
Steve Amesbury, Nowra, NSW

Why it matters
"In Friday's newsletter, it’s asked why the Indian diaspora is so concerned about Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's comments. The allegation that Labor was favoring Indian immigrants 'because they voted Labor' implies two separate grievances: one, that Labor would actually attempt this; and perhaps more importantly, that Indian immigrants aren't capable of thinking for themselves and were assumed to be Labor puppets. The senator was not just wrong, but also insultingly and provocatively wrong."
Mark Walker, Kempsey NSW

Apology owed
"Why our Indian migrants deserve an apology is because it is not a statement of fact but an intimation that one political party is deliberately encouraging migration from a particular country who are likely to support their viewpoints. Fundamentally politicians need to be responsible for how they communicate so they are upholding Australian values such as mutual respect and dignity rather than vilifying a specific community of people for political point scoring."
Adrian Bertolini

We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.

 

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