Analysis: Here is a summary of significant articles published on ForeignAffairs.co.nz on July 11, 2025.
MIL-OSI Submissions: School smartphone bans reflect growing concern over youth mental health and academic performance
Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Margaret Murray, Associate Professor of Public Communication and Culture Studies, University of Michigan New laws that ban smartphones or social media for youth are being introduced across several Western nations. SeventyFour/iStock via Getty Images The number of states banning smartphones in schools is growing. New York is […]
MIL-Evening Report: What is the Strait of Hormuz and why is it so important for global shipping?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Belinda Clarence, Law Lecturer, RMIT University During the recent conflict between Iran and Israel, Iran threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s major shipping routes. Would that be possible, and what effects would it have? The Strait of Hormuz is a choke point […]
MIL-Evening Report: Rugby headgear can’t prevent concussion – but new materials could soften the blows over a career
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Draper, Professor of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Canterbury The widely held view among rugby players, coaches and officials is that headgear can’t prevent concussion. If so, why wear it? It’s hot, it can block vision and hearing, and it can be uncomfortable. Headgear was […]
MIL-OSI Analysis: Israel’s relocation plan for Palestinians and fading hopes for a ceasefire
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor This article was first published in The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email newsletter. Sign up to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your inbox. It was revealing this week to read reports of […]
MIL-Evening Report: Trump has flagged 200% tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals. What do we produce here, and what’s at risk?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joe Carrello, Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Tanya Dol/Shutterstock US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Australia’s pharmaceutical exports to the United States has raised alarm among industry and government leaders. There are fears that, if implemented, the tariffs could cost the Australian economy up to […]
MIL-Evening Report: ‘Fashion helped the pride come out’: First Nations fashion as resistance, culture and connection
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design and Society, University of Technology Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images of deceased people. First Nations garments have always held deep meaning. What we wear tells stories about culture, Country and […]
MIL-OSI Analysis: Why Texas Hill Country, where a devastating flood killed more than 120 people, is one of the deadliest places in the US for flash flooding
Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Hatim Sharif, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio A Kerrville, Texas, resident watches the flooded Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025. Eric Vryn/Getty Images Texas Hill Country is known for its landscapes, where shallow rivers wind among hills and through […]
MIL-Evening Report: Does AI actually boost productivity? The evidence is murky
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon Whittle, Director, Data61, CSIRO Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock There’s been much talk recently – especially among politicians – about productivity. And for good reason: Australia’s labour productivity growth sits at a 60-year low. To address this, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened a productivity round table next month. […]
MIL-Evening Report: Albanese’s China mission – managing a complex relationship in a world of shifting alliances
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Laurenceson, Director and Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute (UTS:ACRI), University of Technology Sydney Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leaves for China on Saturday, confident most Australians back the government’s handling of relations with our most important economic partner and the leading strategic power in Asia. Albanese’s domestic critics […]
MIL-Evening Report: NZ’s new AI strategy is long on ‘economic opportunity’ but short on managing ethical and social risk
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Lensen, Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images The government’s newly unveiled National AI Strategy is all about what its title says: “Investing with Confidence”. It tells businesses that Aotearoa New Zealand is open for AI use, and […]
MIL-Evening Report: Will my private health insurance cover my surgery? What if my claim is rejected?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yuting Zhang, Professor of Health Economics, The University of Melbourne shurkin_son/Shutterstock The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has fined Bupa A$35 million for unlawfully rejecting thousands of health insurance claims over more than five years. Between May 2018 and August 2023 Bupa incorrectly rejected claims from […]
MIL-OSI Analysis: What is the ‘Seven Mountain Mandate’ and how is it linked to political extremism in the US?
Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Art Jipson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton People pray before Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance at a town hall hosted by Lance Wallnau on Sept. 28, 2024, in Monroeville, Pa. AP Photo/Rebecca Droke Vance Boelter, who allegedly shot Melissa Hortman, a Democratic Minnesota state […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: This tropical plant builds isolated ‘apartments’ to prevent battles among the aggressive ant tenants it relies on for survival
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Guillaume Chomicki, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, Durham University When aggressive ant species come in contact, deadly conflicts ensue G. Chomicki In the middle of the South Pacific, a group of Fijian plants have solved a problem that has long puzzled scientists: How can an organism cooperate with multiple […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Justice Department efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans likely violate constitutional rights
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University New American citizens recite the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony in Miami on Aug. 17, 2018. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee The Trump administration wants to take away citizenship from […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Returning to the office isn’t the answer to Canada’s productivity problem — and it will add pressure to urban housing
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Dilara Baysal, Research Fellow in Sociology, Concordia University As companies face pressure to increase productivity, many are calling workers back to the office — even though there is limited evidence that return-to-office policies actually improve innovation or performance. In cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where many major companies […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: Gene-edited pigs may soon enter the Canadian market, but questions about their impact remain
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Gwendolyn Blue, Professor, University of Calgary The Canadian government is currently considering approving the entry of gene-edited pigs into the food system. Using CRISPR gene-editing technology, genetic changes can be created precisely and efficiently without introducing foreign genetic material. If approved, these pigs would be the first gene-edited […]
MIL-OSI Submissions: International students’ stories are vital in shaping Canada’s future
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Emilda Thavaratnam, PhD student, Leadership and Higher Education, University of Toronto Over the past decade, international students have navigated a complex and challenging landscape shaped by neoliberal policies. Neoliberal economic and political ideology upholds entrepreneurship, individualism, free trade, open markets, minimal government intervention and reduced public services for […]
MIL-OSI Analysis: Tackling the chaos at home might be the secret to a more successful work life
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Yasin Rofcanin, Professor of Management Strategy & Organisation, University of Bath Maria Svetlychnaja/Shuttersotck In a world of hybrid working and four-day weeks, most workers are asked to be agile, creative and strategic – not just at work but also at home. But what if the energy and focus […]
MIL-OSI Analysis: Five unusual ways to make buildings greener (literally)
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Paul Dobraszczyk, Lecturer in Architecture, UCL Belgian architect Luc Schuiten’s vision of ‘the Vegetal City’. Luc Schuiten Buildings adorned with plants are an increasingly familiar sight in cities worldwide. These “green walls” are generally created using metal frames that support plastic plates, onto which pre-grown plants are inserted. […]
MIL-OSI Analysis: The Bangladesh delta is under a dangerous level of strain, analysis reveals
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Md Sarwar Hossain, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science & Sustainability, University of Glasgow The Ganges delta in Bangladesh. Emre Akkoyun/Shutterstock Bangladesh is known as the land of rivers and flooding, despite almost all of its water originating outside the territory. The fact that 80% of rivers that flow […]