Analysis: Here is a summary of significant articles published on ForeignAffairs.co.nz on April 30, 2025.
MIL-Evening Report: Peace in our time? Why NZ should resist Trump’s one-sided plan for Ukraine
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago GettyImages Getty Images Is it possible to reconcile increased international support for Ukraine with Donald Trump’s plan to end the war? At their recent meeting in London, Christopher Luxon and his British counterpart Keir Starmer seemed to […]
MIL-OSI Global: Young bats learn to be discriminating when listening for their next meal
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Logan S. James, Research Associate in Animal Behavior, The University of Texas at Austin A frog-eating bat approaches a túngara frog, one of its preferred foods. Grant Maslowski It is late at night, and we are silently watching a bat in a roost through a night-vision camera. From […]
MIL-Evening Report: ‘A living collective’: study shows trees synchronise electrical signals during a solar eclipse
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Monica Gagliano, Research Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology, Southern Cross University Zenit Arti Audiovisive Earth’s cycles of light and dark profoundly affect billions of organisms. Events such as solar eclipses are known to bring about marked shifts in animals, but do they have the same effect on […]
MIL-Evening Report: Greenpeace slams deep sea mining bid as ‘rogue’ disregard for global law
By Reza Azam Greenpeace has condemned an announcement by The Metals Company to submit the first application to commercially mine the seabed. “The first application to commercially mine the seabed will be remembered as an act of total disregard for international law and scientific consensus,” said Greenpeace International senior campaigner Louisa Casson. “This unilateral US […]
MIL-OSI Global: Mark Carney won: Here are the key economic priorities for his new government
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Berhane Elfu, Lecturer in Finance, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology The Liberal Party led by Mark Carney has secured a fourth consecutive term in government. This victory has come at a time when Canada is facing an unprecedented threat to its economic security and sovereignty from United States […]
MIL-OSI Global: The impact of strategic voting in Canada
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Terri Givens, Professor, Political Science, University of British Columbia Initially expected to result in a decisive Conservative victory, the Canadian federal election took a dramatic turn as Mark Carney led the Liberals to victory. It also offered an important lesson in the power of strategic voting — driven […]
MIL-OSI Global: How the UK’s microchip industry is bouncing back after a quarter of a century
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Peter Gammon, Professor of Power Electronic Devices, School of Engineering, University of Warwick A silicon carbide wafer, from which microchips are manufactured. Peter Gammon Silicon microchips underpin our modern lives. They are at the heart of our smartphones and laptops. They also play critical roles in electric vehicles […]
MIL-OSI Global: Donald Trump’s first 100 days have badly damaged trust in America both economically and as an ally
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Steve Dunne, PhD researcher, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick As in life, trust matters in international politics. Vital for cooperation and reciprocation, trusting someone nevertheless leaves one vulnerable should they break faith and pursue self-serving goals. As US political scientist Andrew Kydd recognised, trust […]
MIL-Evening Report: State of the states: the campaign is almost over, so how has it played out across Australia?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Clune, Honorary Associate, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney While many Australians have already voted at pre-poll stations and by post, the politicking continues right up until May 3. So what’s happened across the country over the past five weeks? Here, six experts analyse how […]
MIL-Evening Report: ‘No compassion… just blame’: how weight stigma in maternity care harms larger-bodied women and their babies
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Briony Hill, Deputy Head, Health and Social Care Unit and Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Kate Cashin Photography According to a study from the United States, women experience weight stigma in maternity care at almost every visit. We expect this experience to be similar in Australia, where […]
MIL-Evening Report: Renewables, coal or nuclear? This election, your generation’s energy preference may play a surprising role
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magnus Söderberg, Professor & Director, Centre for Applied Energy Economics and Policy Research, Griffith University Christie Cooper/Shutterstock In an otherwise unremarkable election campaign, the major parties are promising sharply different energy blueprints for Australia. Labor is pitching a high-renewables future powered largely by wind, solar, hydroelectricity and […]
MIL-Evening Report: Trump says diversity initiatives undermine merit. Decades of research show this is flawed
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paula McDonald, Professor of Work and Organisation, Queensland University of Technology Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock US President Donald Trump declared earlier this year he would forge a “colour blind and merit-based society”. His executive order was part of a broader policy directing the US military, federal agencies and other public […]
MIL-Evening Report: Housing affordability is at the centre of this election, yet two major reforms seem all but off-limits
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer This federal election, both major parties have offered a “grab bag” of policy fixes for Australia’s stubborn housing affordability crisis. But there are still two big policy elephants in the room, which neither side wants to touch. The first is negative gearing. […]
MIL-Evening Report: The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago today, yet films about the conflict still struggle to capture its complexities
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scarlette Nhi Do, Sessional Academic, The University of Melbourne Scene from Apocalypse Now (1979) Prime Video The Vietnam War (1955–1975) was more than just a chapter in the Cold War. For some, it was supposed to achieve Vietnam’s right to self-determination. For others, it was an attempt […]
MIL-OSI Global: UK must grow more of its own wood to meet climate goals – new research
Source: The Conversation – UK – By John Healey, Professor of Forest Sciences, Bangor University shutterstock ShaunWilkinson/Shutterstock Wood is often hailed as a low-carbon hero, a natural alternative to steel, concrete and plastic. It’s a vital tool in the UK’s strategy for reaching net zero. But there’s a catch – the country don’t grow nearly […]
MIL-OSI Global: Black style and resistance: The Met Gala, dandyism and blackface in Canada
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Cheryl Thompson, Canada Research Chair, Professor in Performance, Toronto Metropolitan University In her groundbreaking book, Canada and the Blackface Atlantic: Performing Slavery, Conflict and Freedom, 1812-1897, Cheryl Thompson, professor of performance at Toronto Metropolitan University, maps the transnational flow of minstrel culture and racial ideologies, revealing how blackface […]
MIL-Evening Report: Willis warns of a ‘tight’ budget to come, but NZ should be going for productivity, not austerity
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis Wesselbaum, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Otago Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images Finance Minister Nicola Willis has warned her 2025 “Growth Budget” will be “one of the tightest budgets in a decade”, with plans to reduce spending by billions. It’s clear New Zealand is following a […]
MIL-OSI Global: Canada’s Conservatives, with an assist from Donald Trump, are down — but they’re far from out
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sam Routley, PhD Candidate, Political Science, Western University Canada’s Liberals have, once again, risen from the dead. Their re-election with Mark Carney at the helm is a remarkable development in Canadian federal politics — the party not only managed to reverse the dire predictions of its demise but […]
MIL-OSI Global: Old growth forests in eastern Canada show that the climate started changing almost 100 years ago
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Alexandre Pace, PhD Candidate in Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies, Concordia University Natural archives — like tree rings in old-growth forests — can provide information on climate change over time. (A. Pace), CC BY The effects of climate change are complex, especially on the water cycle. As we […]
MIL-OSI Global: Where can Black children go in summer? Black families face disparities and need equitable options
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Juliet Bushi, Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of Windsor For many Black families, summer months can be a relief and a stress. The stress is because of the precariousness of summer programming in Canada. Typically for families with school-aged children, summer planning usually starts in February or March, […]