Morris Chang, the founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, speaks at an investors’ conference in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2012.
David Chang / EPA
The nation’s semiconductor story is ultimately one of strategic foresight.
An Australian Army soldier is watched by young boys during a community engagement patrol through Honiara, Solomon Islands, in 2021.
Cpl. Brandon Grey/Australian Defence/AP
Beyond New Zealand, no other country is as embedded as Australia in the national and regional institutions of Pacific Islands countries.
As Iranian missiles fly, Israel’s sophisticated Iron Dome air defence system is under strain. A potential collaboration with Volkswagen to manufacture key components of the Israeli rocket interceptor could expose both the carmaker and Germany to a breach in International law if it produces arms for Israel.
Hamara / Shutterstock
If Israel possesses a nuclear arsenal, while Iran is denied that possibility, what do the international norms on accepting, producing or acquiring nuclear weapons have to say about such double standards?
The EU‘s “export heavy” economic model makes it more vulnerable to geopolitically related trade disruptions.
Quality Stock Arts/Shutterstock
As new targets designed to help the EU economy work towards autonomy are unveiled, Europe’s “old growth” model and its R&D multinationals’ reliance on foreign markets come under review.
A digger at a cobalt mine in Kawama, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2016. The cobalt is sold to a Chinese company.
Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Strong institutions ensure that foreign investment supports sustainable growth rather than environmental decay.
A mechanical claw holds a polymetallic nodule, one of several seafloor sources of critical minerals.
ROV-Team/GEOMAR via Wikimedia
Critical minerals are found in several forms in the ocean, from potato-size nodules to brine pools. They are also in some of the least understood parts of our planet.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for the opening session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on March 5, 2026.
Florence Lo/AFP via Getty Images
Beijing has denounced US-Israeli action in Iran, but has not rushed to come to the aid of its regional ally.
The sun rises over New York City as a heat wave arrives in June 2025.
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
Solar cycles, sea ice and rising electricity use all play a role. So does an unhealthy surprise that has been quietly hiding a large amount of global warming – until now.
