Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

Brisbane is a city all too familiar with floods, despite decades of dredging, straightening and dam building. Although each flood is remembered for the community spirit and resilience shown by the people who endured it, they reveal the risks inherent in a city built on a flood plain.

Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin early on Christmas morning in 1974. Within hours, a coordinated national response was underway and within three years the city had been rebuilt - better than before. How did they do it?

At thirty-six, Chile’s new president is only just old enough to hold the job. Does he have what it takes to help Chile finally escape the shadow of Pinochet’s military dictatorship?

China and Russia have what they describe as a very special relationship, one that some analysts claim is establishing a new world order. What role did it play in Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine and what does it mean for the rivalry between the United States and China?

In November, Barbados, a tiny Caribbean island, replaced the Queen as its head of state with a Barbadian president. How did Barbados succeed where Australia failed and what does it mean to be a republic in the Commonwealth?

For weeks, Russian troops have massed on the Ukrainian border. It’s still unclear if Europe will be plunged into war or if a diplomatic solution can be found. What role has NATO—the West’s military alliance—played in the crisis?

As Fortress Australia crumbles, Rear Vision dusts off the history of the passport.

Since the onset of the Covid pandemic, state and territory leaders have emerged as key players in dealing with the crisis. They have also increasing taken the lead on issues like climate change, gay marriage, and voluntary euthanasia. Are we seeing a fundamental shift in the power balance between the two levels of government?

Most of the drug companies that developed Covid vaccines have made massive profits. But where does the money and scientific research for these medical breakthroughs come from and who shares in the profit?

China is one of the key diplomatic and economic power on the planet today. Yet just 50 years ago it was one of the poorest and most isolated nations on earth. So how and when did that isolation end and did President Richard Nixon visit in 1972 play a role.