Vol 35 No 3

10 February 2025

INTERNATIONAL

Presidential pardons and the cost of selective forgiveness
- Claire Heaney
- 21 February 2025
For 200 years, the power of presidential mercy has shaped America’s justice system. But with tensions heightened by numerous controversial pardons by both Trump and Biden, has this constitutional safeguard become a political weapon, that threatens the balance of democracy?
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INTERNATIONAL

The escalating crisis in Myanmar
- Anonymous
- 20 February 2025
Myanmar’s military-led turmoil drives millions from their homes, bombs local communities, and keeps democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi behind bars. Once a nation of proud heritage and abundant resources, it now teeters on social and economic collapse. Our deep dive examines an enduring crisis and the determination powering an urgent call for change.
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INTERNATIONAL

Criticism or condemnation? The ethics of speech in times of war
- Andrew Hamilton
- 19 February 2025
The shockwaves of the Hamas attack on Israel and the Israeli military’s response in Gaza have ignited protests, inflamed divisions, and prompted a reckoning with rising antisemitism. As hostilities pause, how should societies distinguish between legitimate criticism and rhetoric that fuels hate?
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ARTS AND CULTURE

The day the treasures came home
- Daniel Herborn
- 19 February 2025
In Dahomey, Mati Diop’s contemplative documentary, the voice of Artefact 26, a wooden statue looted from Benin draws us into the unsettling aftermath of colonial plunder. As 26 treasures return to their homeland, Diop explores the tension between restitution and the enduring weight of history.
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ENVIRONMENT

Climate change is fuelling teen despair. Here's what to do
- Jo Skinner
- 19 February 2025
As climate disasters escalate, more young people grapple with anxiety, despair, and a deep sense of uncertainty. Finding resilience amid rising global temperatures has become a defining challenge for a generation confronting an increasingly unstable world.
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RELIGION

We need to talk about anti-Judaism resurfacing in the Church
- Emma Carolan
- 19 February 2025
Amidst a rise in antisemitism globally, some in the Jewish community have raised concerns about echoes of historic anti-Judaism resurfacing within the Church. While Catholic leaders condemn overt hate, has the Church fully confronted its entrenched biases, or do old prejudices still affect its response in ways that go unnoticed?
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CARTOON

Gilded age
- Glen Le Lievre
- 19 February 2025
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ARTS AND CULTURE

The task of worrying, then and now
- Gillian Bouras
- 19 February 2025
William Cowper’s The Task, written in 1785, echoes today’s anxieties with eerie precision — war, oppression, the weight of the world. Can poetry offer solace in chaotic times? A journey through memory, history, and resilience might hold the answer.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Three poets: John Kelly, Isabella G. Mead, Warwick McFadyen
- Andrew Hamilton
- 14 February 2025
These poets offer distinct reflections on life, faith, and human experience in their recent work. From Kelly’s reflective musings on faith and education to Mead’s exploration of motherhood and nature, and McFadyen’s grappling with grief, their works search for a ‘something more’.
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AUSTRALIA

A sweet, sorrowful midnight walk in Broome
- Sandy Toussaint
- 13 February 2025
In Broome, the work of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody uncovers not only personal grief but also the enduring systemic failures that continue to claim Indigenous lives. As the commission’s findings remain largely unimplemented, the question remains: why has Australia failed to meaningfully address the injustice of these deaths?
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Cinema en verite
- Jim McDermott
- 13 February 2025
As streaming services reshape film distribution and the role of film in popular culture, critics including Quentin Tarantino, have reopened the debate around whether the art of film storytelling has been compromised. So how did we arrive at this point of scepticism, and is the magic of cinema salvageable?
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INTERNATIONAL

The use and abuse of tariffs
- Andrew Hamilton
- 12 February 2025
Can tariffs really create a fair economy? As President Trump’s administration leans into protectionist trade policies, we must ask whether these strategies undermine the values of mutual respect and shared prosperity that should define both national and international relationships.
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ARTS AND CULTURE

Japan poems
- Geoff Page
- 12 February 2025
Where do cultures start, we ask? What forgotten emperor thought up walls without graffiti? I’m told now that it’s not that simple. Japan when under martial law was famous for its litter.
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RELIGION

Is Google shaping faith in America?
- Michael McVeigh
- 12 February 2025
Vice President JD Vance’s defense of Trump’s executive orders has ignited a theological debate on "ordo amoris"—the order of love. Critics argue that reducing love to a hierarchical formula distorts Catholic social teaching. But is the influence of big tech reshaping both religious thought and our global priorities?
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INTERNATIONAL

Could DeepSeek be a gift to the developing world?
- Stephen Minas
- 10 February 2025
The launch of DeepSeek's new AI model has upended conventional wisdom about who controls the future of artificial intelligence. With its open-source nature and unprecedented affordability, it may offer the Global South a rare opportunity to become creators and beneficiaries of AI innovation.
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Vol 35 No 3