By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Australian National University; The University of Western Australia; Victoria University
Iran’s Islamic regime is once again faced with nationwide popular protests and a potential confrontation with Israel and the United States.
Protesters have flooded Tehran and many other major cities in recent days, calling for the downfall of the regime. The US and Israel have also voiced strong support for the protesters.…
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By Justin Bergman, International Affairs Editor, The Conversation
Once a leader compels the military to follow an illegal order, it often leads to soldiers being used to target domestic opponents.
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Monday, January 5, 2026
As protests in the Iranian capital, Tehran – sparked by increasing economic hardship and a cost-of-living crisis – continued for a ninth day, the UN Secretary-General said he was “deeply saddened by the reported loss of life and injuries,” resulting from clashes between security forces and protesters.
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By Juliette McIntyre, Senior Lecturer in Law, Adelaide University
Tamsin Phillipa Paige, Associate Professor, Deakin Law School, Deakin University
Should we push for a better UN that doesn’t reward the powerful by making them unaccountable? Absolutely. Should we scrap it altogether? No.
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By Rachel Carey, Senior Lecturer in Food Systems, The University of Melbourne
Australia can learn from other countries to introduce a universal free school lunch program that benefits children, families, local farmers and the planet.
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By Md Jaynul Abden, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Western Sydney University
Jannatul Dil Afroze, Researcher in the School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University
Many Australian homes are like an oven in summer and a fridge in winter. New ‘smart materials’ are being developed to make houses comfortable in a changing climate.
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By Martina Linnenluecke, Professor at UTS Business School; Centre for Climate Risk and Resilience, University of Technology Sydney
Carl Rhodes, Professor of Business and Society, University of Technology Sydney
When writer Cory Doctorow introduced the term enshittification in 2023, he captured a pattern many users had already noticed in their personal lives.
The social media platforms, e-commerce sites and search engines they were using had noticeably deteriorated in quality. Many had begun to prioritise content from advertisers and other third parties. Profit became the main goal.
Doctorow frames this decline as a death spiral: the online platforms once offered value to their users, but…
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By Gabriela Mesones Rojo
“I thought Venezuelans had already heard every sound the country’s violence had to offer. But this was something new — terrifying in its unfamiliarity.”
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By Philippe Le Billon, Professor, Geography Department and School of Public Policy & Global Affairs, University of British Columbia
Canada and Venezuela compete in the same heavy-oil regional and global markets, so shifts in supply from Canada to Venezuela would widely reverberate across the Canadian economy.
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By Dan Dixon, Associate Lecturer in English and Writing, University of Sydney
In That Book is Dangerous! author Adam Szetela argues we exist in a ‘Sensitivity Era’ and publishing is paying the price. Is he right?
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