2020 was the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the most significant global pandemic since the 'Spanish flu' in 1918-1919. This book provides an analysis of the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in a range of Commonwealth countries during 2020, covering public health, political, economic and international aspects. The Commonwealth, within which about one quarter of the world's population resides, provides a cross-section of the global experience of COVID-19. The Commonwealth ranges from highly populated countries such as India and Nigeria, to small island states and territories, encompassing also advanced industrialised countries and developing countries. The grouping also extends into many different regions of the world: Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania. In the first year of the pandemic, vaccines were still under development and national response strategies chosen by Commonwealth countries were diverse, spanning eradication, elimination, suppression and mitigation. The chapters in this book show the ways in which governments from a selection of Commonwealth countries responded to the multiple dimensions of the crisis, pointing to the factors that led to effective or less effective policies. This book originally appeared as a special issue of The Round Table.

Historical Dictionary of International Organizations in Asia and the Pacific, Second Edition covers global, international, and regional organizations in Asia and the Pacific, and encompasses both governmental and non-governmental organizations. This second edition covers the history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 200 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, thematic topics, and major international issues affecting the region. This book is a valuable tool for anyone seeking details about international organizations in Asia and the Pacific, and the international context within which those organizations function.

Debates on security became more intense following the unanticipated end of the Cold War conflict and took on added force after the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11, 2001. Generally viewed as a part of the wider 'West' despite its separation by enormous geographical distances from both Europe and the United States, Australia is a regional power in its own right. It has been an active and loyal member of the US-led coalitions of the willing, first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq. The terrorist attacks in Bali one year after the attacks in the United States brought home to Australia the direct nature of the new global terrorist threats to its own security. This volume brings together leading experts on international security and Australia's foreign and security policies in a critical examination of Australia's adaptations to the new security challenges. It is the first in-depth and comprehensive analysis of Australia's defence and security policies as well as the country's role in countering regional and global challenges to international security since the war on terrorism began.