Features

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  Thursday 4 July 2019 by Mozart Olbrycht-Palmer

  Does Hong Kong have a future divorced from Beijing?

  Hong Kong has seen weeks of protests sparked by a proposed law that would allow residents of the special administrative region (SAR) to be extradited to mainland China for prosecution. Increasingly, Hong Kong residents are questioning the continued viability of the “one country, two systems” policy that has maintained Hong Kong’s relatively high degree of economic freedoms and personal liberty since the British returned it to China in 1997. Some are pushing for Hong Kong ... ► Read more

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  Wednesday 19 June 2019 by Mozart Olbrycht-Palmer

  Why is the Tory leadership contest taking so long and who will be the new PM?

  This article will continue to be updated as the election progresses. On 24 May 2019, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation as leader of the Conservative Party (“the Tories”), effective from 7 June. This announcement triggered an election within the Conservative Party to determine who will lead the party and succeed her as Prime Minister. It has been two weeks since Theresa May’s resignation took effect, and we still don’t know who the ... ► Read more

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  Friday 3 May 2019 by Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer

  Facebook was right to ban Milo & company

  This is a conversation I have had many times with many people, and one thing I’ve observed is that there never seems to be one answer. That isn’t surprising because both core arguments make compelling cases. Basically, it comes down to whether you believe we should live in a society where individuals are allowed to say whatever they think or a society where community standards restrict what can be said. Here in Australia, section 18C ... ► Read more

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  Thursday 21 February 2019 by Mozart Olbrycht-Palmer

  Personae non grata — how ISIS members are being stripped of their citizenship and potentially left stateless

  Neil Prakash, Shamima Begum and Hoda Muthana share a lot in common. All three were born in western countries. They all left their home countries to join Islamic State. And they have all now been stripped of their citizenships. Mr Prakash was born in Melbourne, Australia. He converted to Islam in 2012 and left for Syria in 2013. Ms Begum was born in the United Kingdom and flew to Syria with two friends in 2015, ... ► Read more

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  Monday 4 February 2019 by Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer

  The INF’s demise is an opportunity in disguise

  It’s official: the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty is no more, and people are worried. On Friday (local time) United States President Donald Trump announced his administration was suspending the INF Treaty, prompting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to do the same. In effect, the US and Russia are now free to develop and deploy land-based, nuclear-capable missiles with a range of 500–5,500km. This definitely isn’t a good thing, but it isn’t as bad as ... ► Read more

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  Monday 21 January 2019 by Mozart Olbrycht-Palmer

  Brexit is only a big deal for politicians

  On 23 June 2016 I was on a train, hurtling across the English countryside. Like every good law graduate, I was making a pilgrimage to see Lincoln Castle’s Magna Carta. Conspicuously absent from my journey was any indication that the dawn of the Brexit malaise was imminent, despite Britons heading to the polls that day to vote on whether to leave the European Union. In fact, most conspicuous for my entire visit was the apathy toward ... ► Read more

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  Monday 24 December 2018 by Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer

  We’re on holiday!

  Dear readers, OPMagazine will be on holiday from December 25 to January 5. To our thousands of readers, we thank you sincerely for your patronage. This year, the world has seen some fantastic successes, as well as some shameful failures; and as an outlet, we have been there every step of the way to cover the good and the bad. Thank you for being there with us. From everyone here at OPMagazine, we wish you ... ► Read more

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