A place known for sun, surf, and carefree Australian summers was forever marked this week. On the evening of December 14, 2025, families gathered at Sydney’s Bondi Beach to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. Suddenly, gunfire shattered the peaceful evening. In a brutal attack, two gunmen opened fire on a crowd of nearly a thousand people, turning a celebration into one of Australia’s darkest moments. Authorities have declared this a terrorist incident inspired by the Islamic State. The attack killed sixteen people, including a ten-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, and injured over forty more. Beyond the shocking numbers lies a deep national trauma that raises urgent questions about domestic security, rising hatred, and Australia’s role in an unstable world.
Tag: Australia
2024 in Review: A Roundup of all Ongoing Conflicts
In April 2023 civil war broke out between Sudan’s national army and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group. The conflict has caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis: so far almost 30% of the country’s pre-war population of 50 million has been displaced. As 2024 began the RSF appeared to have upper hand. It had taken over much of Khartoum, the capital. Meanwhile almost all of Darfur, in the west, was under its control, though the army clung on to el-Fasher, the regional capital. The RSF’s leader, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo even embarked on a triumphant tour of African capitals.
West Papua Conflict: Silent Struggle in Indonesia’s Easternmost Province
The conflict between Indonesia and West Papua has its roots in the decolonisation of Indonesia from the Netherlands and the disputed referendum called the Act of Free Choice in 1969. The referendum, which was widely criticised, resulted in West Papua becoming part of Indonesia. However, the process was perceived as fraudulent by many Papuans, who believe that their civil and political rights were violated during the decolonisation process. The conflict has persisted, with core grievances remaining unresolved. The Indonesian government views the Act of Free Choice as the final stage of a decolonisation process, while many Papuans see it as a fraudulent process backed by state violence and international acquiescence. The Indonesian government has been sensitive to perceived foreign intervention and has restricted efforts by journalists, diplomats and non-governmental organisations wanting to report on the conflict.
The Perfect Timing for China’s Attack on Taiwan
Can we expect a third major conflict this year being China’s invasion of Taiwan? With the world engulfed already in two major conflicts where Taiwan’s ally United States has been distracted by Israel-Hamas War and Russia-Ukraine conflict, China might potentially seize this opportunity to attack Taiwan.