Counterpoint

Is Alexei Navalny a serious threat to Vladimir Putin? How innovative is language and just how and why does it change? Have we confused knowledge with critical thinking and what's the difference between them? Scientist are looking to the past to predict the future, so where does a Spruce that was thought to be extinct fit in?

What is grey-zone aggression and why is it being used? Angela Merkel has a few months left as Chancellor, what can she achieve or what should be achieved before she does? Did countries in East Asia, with a focus on Japan, accept westernization when it came? Not as much as wight think they did. We hear a lot about England, Scotland and Northern Ireland but what about the other country in the United Kingdom, what about Wales? How has gone since the 1998 devolution?

Can the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) withstand China's increased activities in the region, and what, if anything, should Australia do about it? Have we reached 'conceptual overreach' when it comes to human rights, health and the law? It would seem so. Why do cognitive scientists and corporations see our minds as predictive machines and the story of Ham, the first chimp in space.

Why did the military takeover in Myanmar on the first day in February? Was it a coup, or was it just a kind of ministerial reshuffle? Can there be peace in the South China Sea? Perhaps a technocratic peace might work. Who funds NGO's? It's probably not who you think and Wikipedia has turned 20 so lets celebrate.

The Economist Intelligence Unity has just released its 2020 Democracy Index. Where does Australia rank and how do we compare with New Zealand? A map showing the sites of Indigenous massacres will hopefully be finalised by the end of the year. What does the map look like and what will it be used for? Have you heard of seafood slavery? Right now thousands of men are stuck on boats at seas, what will happen to them? What makes someone a genius? Is it a high IQ or something else?