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Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu want nothing short of regime change in Iran. After killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a wave of airstrikes, are they any closer to their goal?
As Iran expert Amin Saikal writes, Iran’s clerical regime was built for survival. Not only have successors been short-listed, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij paramilitary group will suppress any protests that may break out. Their fortunes are tied to the regime.
And what does the attack say about international law? Israel claimed this was a "preventive" strike, but as Shannon Brincat and Juan Zahir Naranjo Cáceres point out, Iran didn’t pose the kind of threat that would make this attack legal.
They argue the US-Israeli strikes are just another sign the international rules-based order is in free fall.
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Justin Bergman
International Affairs Editor
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Amin Saikal, Australian National University; The University of Western Australia; Victoria University
A public uprising might not be enough to topple a deeply entrenched political system backed by armed paramilitary groups.
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Shannon Brincat, University of the Sunshine Coast; Juan Zahir Naranjo Cáceres, University of the Sunshine Coast
With the latest strikes on Iran, the international legal order is now in free fall.
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Andrew Thomas, Deakin University
Khamenei will largely be remembered for the profound weakness his leadership brought the Islamic Republic.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The Albanese government has backed the American strike on Iran, while confirming Australia was not given prior warning.
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Digital Storytelling Team, The Conversation
What we know about the US and Israel strikes on Iran, which have killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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Toby Walsh, UNSW Sydney
If you’re one of CommBank’s 17 million customers, don’t panic. But given how well AI can now fake documents, all banks will need to rethink their security.
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Sora Lee, La Trobe University
The first in-depth analysis of discouraged workers finds they range from young men to mums. Unless we pay more attention to them, we risk misreading the economy.
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Andrew J. Martin, UNSW Sydney
To protect against the ups and downs of student life, focus on the things you can control and set clear goals.
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Politics + Society
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David Heilpern, Southern Cross University
So-called 'sovereign citizens' are using nonsense legal arguments to tie up court systems. Here are some ideas about how to deal with it.
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Michele Lastella, CQUniversity Australia; Dean J. Miller, CQUniversity Australia; Jacopo Vitale; Matthew Driller, La Trobe University
The majority of Australia’s squad is based overseas, which will impact their sleep and recovery in the early stages of the Women’s Asian Cup.
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Andrew Poe, Australian Catholic University
The new police unit will attempt to prevent crime from happening before it starts. But research is mixed with this type of policing.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Deposed Liberal leader Sussan Ley formally resigned from parliament on Friday – and sent a blunt challenge to her successor, Angus Taylor.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The unvarnished assessment of the Liberals’ disastrous 2025 campaign won’t see the light of day following a decision from the party’s executive.
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Health + Medicine
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Thomas Jeffries, Western Sydney University; Charles Oliver Morton, Western Sydney University
A common mould has claimed the lives of two people, and left four others seriously ill. Here’s what you need to know.
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Tam Ha, University of Wollongong
If you used talc as a child, or still use it now, here’s what the science says about the link with cancer. It might not be what you think.
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Business + Economy
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Guy Bate, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Rhiannon Lloyd, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
When new technology can produce the texts companies or departments use to explain themselves, core values can shift incrementally without anyone really noticing.
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Environment + Energy
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Tony Bacic, La Trobe University
People can retreat indoors from extreme weather, but crops can’t. Farmers are increasingly looking at nets, misters, polytunnels and greenhouses to protect crops.
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Milad Haghani, The University of Melbourne
Australia hosts hundreds of live performance events each year, drawing about 14 million concertgoers – and their environmental footprints.
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Science + Technology
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Nic Rawlence, University of Otago; Alan Tennyson, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The newly described fossil goose Meterchen luti lived alongside crocodilians and turtles on the shores of the ancient Lake Manuherikia.
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Uri Gal, University of Sydney
Olive was meant to make shopping easier. Instead it’s mouthing off about its ‘mother’ and mistaking the price of basic items.
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Carolina Quintero Rodriguez, RMIT University
The key is to gently wash your raincoat regularly.
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Arts + Culture
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Wendy Hargreaves, University of Southern Queensland
Whistlers aren’t born. They’re made.
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Rodney Taveira, University of Sydney; Ava Kalinauskas, University of Sydney
Emirati Princess Al Qasimi is pro-Palestine and this year’s Sydney Biennale arts director, a choice that has drawn criticism. But should art be comfortable?
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Books + Ideas
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Judith Brett, La Trobe University
Australia’s impossible housing crisis, One Nation as a political force, privatised education… how many of our problems can be traced back to John Howard?
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Editors note: Last week, we published an article asking if it's time to ditch group assignments at uni. We invited comments on this story, here's a selection of what some of you thought.
“This topic has been the subject of op-eds in the media in the past and rightly so. The use of group assignments enables some students to literally do nothing while others do the main work and are the winners of the high marks. In some degree courses the loafers can even pass core subjects without having done any of the work and obtain a degree on a falsehood. The argument often cited by academic staff is that group assignments reflect the collaborative environment in the workplace. This is a furphy of an argument, for in the workpla |
