Poland’s ruling party is racing to eliminate judicial independence. This move is seen as an assault on democracy and is setting the country on a collision course with the European Union. Simmering for several years, the crisis is now boiling over. A new bill enables the government to punish judges for publicly criticizing the attack on the separation of power or questioning the validity of government appointed judges. Find out why the attach on the rule of law in Poland was so successful.

The economic cost of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for decades but there’s another crisis needing urgent attention and that’s climate change .As the economy recovers from COVID-19, can we also improve the health of the planet by investing in green industries? A green economic recovery could be a win for the climate and a win for the economy.

We know that the coronavirus pandemic won’t be our last. Other viruses have the potential to jump from animals to humans. So how can we strengthen global defences against future pandemics? And what’s been Australia’s best weapon in the fight against Covid-19?

Security analyst and counterinsurgency expert, David Kilcullen, believes the West is ill-prepared to deal with the new security threats it faces — including China and non-state adversaries. He is speaking with Paul Barclay.

What will the world look like on the other side of this pandemic? After decades of facilitating the free flow of people, goods and services, nations are strengthening their borders to protect the health of their citizens. Will globalisation be in retreat as a result of COVID-19 or will the pandemic underline the need for global co-operation ?

How can you turn failure into success? And even learn to love your mistakes? Table tennis champion Matthew Syed explains that we need to change our perception that talent is crucial for success into accepting that failure is temporary. Only then do you believe in the potential for growth. The mindset to learn from mistakes is common in many sports, but not prevalent in our social and political institutions.

Throughout America’s atomic history, the president has solely held the power to start a nuclear war. For decades, glitches and slipups have threatened to trigger such a war – unintentionally. A faulty 46-cent microchip nearly caused World War III, and we have cyber-attacks as well. Former US secretary of defense William Perry and security expert Tom Collina condemn leaving explosive power this devastating under one person’s decision and outline the prescription for a safer future.

Coronavirus has shut international borders, closed borders within Australia, forced countries to isolate, brought an end to global mobility, and put globalism itself into reverse. How do we prevent a rise in xenophobia, authoritarianism and isolationism and a lurch toward cold war conflict?

Economic sanctions serve to resolve international conflicts without resorting to violence and war. That’s the theory. But how well do they really work? They seem to have been successful in ending apartheid in South Africa or finalising the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. But it’s crucial that the big economies stand together and support the same sanctions. And in recent years, the important sanction alliance between the EU and the US is under pressure.

A billion dollar stimulus package is life support for our economy but sooner or later the government will pull the plug. Is there a risk of relapse if it happens too quickly? The Grattan Institute has a prescription for economic recovery with policy recommendations for household finances, transport , employment and health.