Rizieq’s Return Unwelcome News for Australia
The presence of the firebrand cleric in Indonesia will make Canberra uncomfortable as he represents a cultural shift that could further alienate the two countries and complicate any initiatives towards gaining a better understanding of each other.
Tigray Violence Threatens Ethiopian Transformation
With the country already riven along ethnic lines, the escalating violence between government forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front further threatens both Ethiopia’s recent advancements and its future progress.
Food and Water Security on the Agenda as Israeli Delegation Visits Sudan
Improved relations with the United States and Israel could help Sudan repair its economy and improve food and water security. As that will help it gain access to international finance and assist it in expressing its interests in regional water sharing negotiations.
Boosting Trade and Investment Integration among Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Countries: Professor Peter Draper
Each of the five IORA sub-regions contains core member states that are driving trading patterns and trade integration across the wider IORA region. It is a region with tremendous demographic potential, which will be significant from a trade and investment point of view. As a leader in the mining and services sectors, Australia should be looking more closely at ways to harness the demographic and economic growth of the East Africa sub-region, where, in the medium term and beyond, there is a lot of potential in those areas.
Gilgit-Baltistan as Pakistan’s New Province could be a Game-Changer in Indo-Pacific Geopolitics
Pakistan is set to make Gilgit-Baltistan, in the disputed Kashmir region, its fifth province. India has strongly condemned that decision and has asked Pakistan to vacate what it considers an occupied area. China is a major stakeholder in the region and has been pressuring Pakistan to exert more control over the area, with India’s response to that a critical factor in shaping the geopolitics of the Subcontinent. Amid this zero-sum game, the interests of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan do not occupy much space.
Increased Risk of “Day Zero” Droughts due to Climate Change
While there is uncertainty about future climate conditions, it is probable that South Africa, Australia and other regions with similar climate conditions will experience severe droughts that could deplete water sources, mainly as a result of climate change.