This week in Australian foreign affairs: Australian assistance team heads to Myanmar; calls for an independent inquiry into the deaths of 15 Palestinian paramedics; the  government rejects China’s call for a joint response to Trump’s latest tariff escalation, and more.

With global conflict escalating and civilian protections eroding, Australia has a strategic opportunity to assert leadership in upholding international humanitarian law. By leveraging diplomatic influence and building cross-regional alliances, Australia can strengthen global adherence to the rules-based order, protecting civilians, and advancing global stability.

The diplomatic clash between the US and China over fishing resources in Peru illustrates how Peru's deepening economic ties with China have increased geopolitical tensions, particularly around strategic assets like the Chancay Megaport. As China's economic dominance in Peru grows, the country faces a challenging balancing act, trying to preserve political neutrality amid escalating rivalry between the US and China.  

The massive scale and international exposure of Australia's superannuation industry present new opportunities to leverage retirement savings as a foreign policy tool. However, recent global market volatility highlights significant risks, necessitating clearer government strategies to protect and responsibly manage Australians' overseas investments.

South Sudan’s fragile peace deal is unravelling as political tensions flare and violence resurfaces. More than a broken trust is the cause, and the nation's leaders will need to be pressured into peace. 

Asia’s exceptional peace owes much to its unique, dual security structure: deterrence-based military alliances and trust-building, inclusive multilateralism. But intensifying US-China rivalry now threatens to unravel it, driving over-deterrence and a surge in exclusive security minilaterals. 

Vietnam has faced mounting cyber threats posed by China, affecting its national security and other interests in the cyberspace. The Vietnamese government has framed the problem as a security threat and adopted wide ranges of exceptional measures to safeguard cybersecurity.

South Korea’s swift response to the attempted self-coup highlights the critical role of responsive institutions, social media mobilisation, and civic courage in safeguarding democratic resilience. This case demonstrates that democracy thrives not merely through stable systems but through constant vigilance, institutional independence, and active citizen participation.

China is advancing in many areas of technology and the economy, and has emerged as a world-class innovator. With the US less predictable and collaborative, can Australia learn from China?

As Indonesian quietly fades from many schools, Indigenous languages are gaining ground in NSW. This shows that targeted policy, community input, and system signals can influence language program success—and what that might mean for Indonesian.