Analysis: Here is a summary of significant articles published on ForeignAffairs.co.nz on May 8, 2025.
MIL-Evening Report: Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – International Trade over time: gifts with strings
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Chart by Keith Rankin. The ‘see-saw’ chart above shows the accumulated ‘excess benefits’ that Aotearoa New Zealand, and a few other countries, have enjoyed from international trade over the last 40 years. These are benefits arising from ‘unbalanced trade’ which are in addition to the regular benefits – arising from efficient […]
MIL-OSI Global: Indian airstrikes in Kashmir following tourist attack raises fears of a regional conflict
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By MD Rakib Jahan, PhD Student, Department of Political Studies, International Relations, Queen’s University, Ontario In response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir last month,, India has launched “Operation Sindoor,” a series of targeted airstrikes on nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The […]
MIL-Evening Report: ‘Utu’ as foreign policy: how a Māori worldview can make sense of a shifting world order
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Ross Smith, Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury Getty Images There is a growing feeling in New Zealand that the regional geopolitical situation is becoming less stable and more conflicted. China has ramped up its Pacific engagement, most recently with […]
MIL-Evening Report: While the Liberals haemorrhaged, the Nationals held their own. Is it time to break up the Coalition?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda Botterill, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Among the notable features of this year’s election campaign was that Australia’s second-oldest political party was apparently missing in action. At the same time, it managed to avoid the rout inflicted on its coalition partner. […]
MIL-Evening Report: Vietnam is poised to become a top 20 economy, so why is Australia taking so long to make trade and investment links?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Vo, Senior lecturer in Vietnamese culture and politics, University of Wollongong Aritra Deb/Shutterstock At a time of widespread global trade instability, Australia should be expanding and diversifying its economic partnerships. Supply chains remain fragile, and protectionist rhetoric is once again gaining traction in major Western economies. […]
MIL-Evening Report: Why is hospital parking so expensive? Two economics researchers explain
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Farrell, Professor of Economics (Health Economist), RMIT University ThirtyPlus/Shutterstock Imagine having to pay A$39 dollars a day to park your car while visiting your sick child in hospital. For families already struggling in a cost-of-living crisis, hospital parking fees are not just another expense. They can […]
MIL-Evening Report: Marvel’s Thunderbolts* shines a light on men’s mental illness – but falls down with this outdated plotline
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emily Baulch, Research Associate, Discipline of Media and Communications, University of Sydney Marvel Studios This piece contains spoilers. Marvel’s men are sad. And that’s a good thing. Thor’s depressed in Avengers: Endgame. Tony Stark has panic attacks in Iron Man 3. Peter grieves in Spider-Man: No Way […]
MIL-Evening Report: Australia is set to be a renewables nation. After Labor’s win, there’s no turning back
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney bmphotographer/Shutterstock An emphatic election victory for the incumbent Labor government means Australia’s rapid shift to renewable energy will continue. As Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said on Saturday: In 2022, the Australian people […]
MIL-OSI Global: No matter who the next pope is, US Catholics stand ‘at a crossroads’ − a sociologist explains
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Maureen K. Day, Research Fellow, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California Parishioners attend a memorial Mass in honor of Pope Francis at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on April 21, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images More […]
MIL-OSI Global: Tips for starting a business in Canada, according to entrepreneurs who have done it
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Nazha Gali, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, University of Windsor Each year, about 100,000 small businesses are created in Canada. But what does it actually take to start a business in Canada — not just on paper, but in practice? To better understand what launching a startup […]
MIL-OSI Global: MAGA’s ‘war on empathy’ might not be original, but it is dangerous
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Michael Cameron, PhD Candidate of English, Dalhousie University During his most recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Elon Musk levelled a critique at empathy, calling it “the fundamental weakness of western civilization.” If your first instinct is to brush this off as another example of Musk’s awkwardness, we […]
MIL-OSI Global: India-Pakistan strikes: 5 essential reads on decades of rivalry and tensions over Kashmir
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Matt Williams, Senior International Editor Indian paramilitary soldiers patrol a street in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir on May 4, 2025. Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto via Getty Images Indian airstrikes deep into Pakistan and retaliatory shelling across the border have put the subcontinent on edge once again, with many fearing […]
MIL-OSI Global: Why Trump’s plans for tariffs on foreign films probably won’t have a happy ending
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jean Chalaby, Professor of Sociology, City St George’s, University of London Bill Chizek/Shutterstock With its tariffs policies, the administration of US president Donald Trump aims to correct the country’s persistent goods trade deficit. The president has argued that the US has been “looted, pillaged, raped and plundered” by […]
MIL-OSI Global: Your fridge might be a breeding ground for bacteria – here’s how to fix it
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Oleksii Omelchenko, Doctoral Researcher in listeria and other invasive pathogens, Quadram Institute Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock The kitchen is often the heart of the home – a place where families gather and meals begin. And at the start of it all? The fridge. This is where we safely store much […]
MIL-OSI Global: Why Trump fails to understand China’s trade war tactics, and what his negotiators should be reading
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tom Harper, Lecturer in International Relations, University of East London As US and Chinese representatives prepare to meet in Switzerland in an effort to ease their escalating trade war, a potential sign of Beijing’s approach has emerged in an opinion piece published in the state-owned journal Beijing Daily. […]
MIL-OSI Global: VE Day: how personal first-hand accounts help keep everyday narratives of wartime Britain alive
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hazel Hall, Emeritus Professor in the School of Computing, Engineering, and Built Environment, Edinburgh Napier University From street parties to flypasts, the myriad events of VE Day – which this year commemorates the 80th anniversary of victory in Europe – take place against the backdrop of grand wartime […]
MIL-OSI Global: Can a 10- or 15-minute workout really help you get fit? A sports scientist explains
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Andrew Scott, Senior Lecturer in Cinical Exercise Physiology, University of Portsmouth Even 15 minutes of cycling a day can improve cardiovascular health. Bohdan Malitskiy/ Shutterstock In today’s fast-paced world, finding time for exercise can be challenging. This probably explains why short workouts continue to be so popular. But […]
MIL-OSI Global: Bone broth is hyped by celebrities and hailed as a wellness superfood – here’s what the science says
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University AB-7272/Shutterstock When someone tells you to “clean your plate”, bones usually aren’t included. But for some people, bones – or rather, what’s inside them – are the best part of a meal. Bone broth, once a humble kitchen staple, […]
MIL-OSI Global: Europe is moving to reposition itself in Donald Trump’s new global order
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham FabrikaSimf/Shutterstock The term that perhaps best describes the international impact of the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second term is “disruption”. His tariff policy, his abolition of USAID, his questioning of the transatlantic alliance, and his attempted rapprochement […]
MIL-OSI Global: Aaliyah’s turn as a vampire in the nu-metal film Queen of the Damned is an often-overlooked part of her legacy
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Francesca Sobande, Reader in Digital Media Studies, Cardiff University Black women’s influence on metal and connected sub-genres is still often overlooked. As part of my research into Black women in pop culture, I’ve looked at the relationship between race, gender, onscreen portrayals of immortality and nu-metal. Nu-metal, popularised […]