From protest laws to public commentary on writers and festivals, the NSW premier’s interventions reveal a troubling impatience with dissent and democratic restraint.

What would western outrage look like if China, rather than the United States, had carried out decades of military interventions and political interference?

The violence surrounding protests against the visit of Israel’s president was not an accident of crowd control. It reflects a deeper political failure – where authority suppresses dissent rather than ...

Inviting Israel’s president to Australia in the wake of the Bondi attack has blurred the line between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of Israel, weakening rather than strengthening social ...

Calls for a new Minister for Social Cohesion reflect anxiety about Australia’s civic health, but risk mistaking rhetorical panic for structural failure – and policy symbolism for effective governance.

One Nation’s promise to deport 75,000 undocumented migrants echoes Donald Trump’s approach, but the logistics, costs and risks of such a policy are far greater than the rhetoric suggests.

Japan’s ruling party has secured another overwhelming victory. But beneath the spectacle lies a troubling mix of demographic denial, fiscal illusion and rising geopolitical risk.

Pearls and Irritations is entering a new phase, with Editor-in-Chief John Menadue stepping back from day-to-day leadership and new appointments strengthening our future.

As debate over capital gains tax returns to parliament, longstanding concessions are again under scrutiny for their role in ...

Inviting a foreign head of state to commemorate an Australian tragedy blurs citizenship, religion and geopolitics – and risks ...

Melbourne’s mass protest against the visit of Israel President Isaac Herzog showed how large, diverse crowds can assemble ...

By returning to Coalition with a declining National Party, the Liberals have doubled down on policies and demographics that ...