The bloody ground attacks by Hamas in Israel caused the biggest shock. But the unprecedented scale of rocketry and successful use of armed drones contributed to the surprise.
From the war in Ukraine and China’s role in the Pacific, to multi-billion-dollar military decisions, New Zealand will face huge challenges during the next term of government.
Pirates leave a Ukrainian merchant vessel for Somalia’s shore in 2008.
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Does New Zealand have more to lose than gain by joining ‘pillar two’ of the AUKUS security pact? The next government will have to decide, with serious implications for the country’s foreign policy.
Delegates at the Russia-Africa Economic Forum in Sochi, 2019.
Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
African leaders at the second Africa-Russia summit need to speak with one voice.
A refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo registers his fingerprints on a biometric machine in Uganda in 2022.
Badru Katumba/AFP via Getty Images
Capturing biometric data helps UN agencies and other groups avoid the risk of fraud and increase efficiency. But the practice is complicated and has created security risks for vulnerable groups.
Malians demonstrate against the presence of foreign troops.
Annie Risemberg/AFP via Getty Images
Ghana’s implementation of key population policies has not been consistent.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on July 6, 2023.
Pedro Pardo/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
For Nigeria’s new security chiefs to succeed, there is the need to depoliticise, demilitarise, and optimise operational capabilities of the armed forces.
10 tons of ammunition previously laid in civilian settlements by Libyan militia and Wagner group mercenaries .
Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Intelligence reports offer information that can avert threats to national security or promote national interests.
A 2014 view of Gaoui refugee camp in N'Djamena, Chad. Pressure on refugee camps in Chad has increased due to latest fighting in Sudan.
Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The ongoing war in Sudan poses security, humanitarian, political and economic challenges for Chad.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrives to attend his swearing-in ceremony at Eagle Square venue, Abuja, on May 29, 2023.
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Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation; Scholar -In-Residence Asia Society Australia, Deakin University