Peace and Conflict

Australia Risks Falling Behind Allies on Research Security

Late last year, a Ph.D. student named Yuekang Li was refused a study visa to enter Canada. Why? Canada’s Federal Court was concerned about research security and that he could be “targeted and coerced into providing information that would be detrimental to Canada.” Li wasn’t the only one. Earlier this month, Iranian computer engineering student ...

Troy Oakes

The University of Sydney.

General Patton: A Legacy of Courage, Discipline, and Leadership

General George S. Patton, one of the most notable senior officers in the U.S. Army during World War II, left an indelible mark on American and global military history. His battlefield accomplishments, successful military training, and combat strategies have been passed down through generations. Here we explore the life and legacy of General Patton, focusing ...

Max Lu

General George S. Patton.

How Drone Submarines Are Turning the Seabed Into a Future Battlefield

A 12-ton fishing boat weighs anchor three kilometers off the port of Adelaide. A small crew huddles over a miniature submarine, activates the controls, primes the explosives, and releases it into the water. The underwater drone uses sensors and sonar to navigate towards its pre-programmed target: the single, narrow port channel responsible for the state’s ...

Troy Oakes

Illustration of an underwater drone operating near the seabed.

Remembering the Tragic Events of July 20, 1999, in China

On July 20, 1999, a day of terror for many in China that would change their lives forever. For many, their most basic human rights were taken away, and the right to practice peaceful meditation and gentle exercises and to believe in Heaven and gods was taken away. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) banned the ...

Trisha Haddock

The Tian Guo Marching Band outside the Victorian State Library in Melbourne.

The Highly Secretive Five Eyes Alliance Has Disrupted a China-Backed Hacker Group

This week the Five Eyes alliance — an intelligence alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States — announced its investigation into a China-backed threat targeting U.S. infrastructure. Using stealth techniques, the attacker — referred to as “Volt Typhoon” — exploited existing resources in compromised networks in a technique called ...

Troy Oakes

Flags of Australia, Canada, the U.S., the UK, and New Zealand with the image of an eye on them to symbolize the Five Eyes alliance.

The Black Sea Drone Incident: Avoiding ‘Accidental’ War

The extraordinary footage of a Russian jet intercepting a U.S. drone over the Black Sea demonstrates just how potentially disastrous such encounters outside actual war zones can be. Released by the Pentagon, the drone’s own video captures the Russian aircraft apparently spraying the drone with fuel, then deliberately colliding with it. The incident matches similar ...

Troy Oakes

A Russian jet spraying a U.S. drone with fuel.

Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s Musical Mission to Defend Their Country and Raise Funds for Victims

Standing in solidarity with those affected by the war in Ukraine, Canadian-Ukrainian and founding conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera, has gathered together 75 talented musicians. They form the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra.  The all-Ukrainian ensemble is composed of notable musicians from Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv, Lviv, ...

Hermann Rohr

Ukraine smoke flag isolated on a black background.

Schindler of the East: John Rabe (Part 2)

This is a two-part story; please go here for Part 1 John Rabe, a German businessman known to the world for setting up a safe zone during the Second Sino-Japanese War in China and saving 250,000 Chinese people, made a wrong choice. As a result, he was forced to bear the weight of the crimes ...

Helen London

Bodies of victims along Qinhuai River.