In 2025, the Near East Policy Forum (NEPF), anchored at ANU’s Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies, strengthened its role as a high-quality open access platform delivering timely, peer reviewed analysis on political, security, economic, and social issues across the Middle East, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Central Asia.
NEPF published numerous substantial articles this year. Among them was “Central Asia’s Significance in a Future Multipolar World” by Gulshat Rozyyeva, which explored how Central Asia occupies an increasingly central position in global power dynamics as multipolarity gains traction.
The forum also featured “Re calibrating Deterrence: Iranian Threat Perceptions in a Shifting Regional Order” by Rim El Dana, which unpacked how Iran’s posture is changing in response to regional shocks and shifting security alliances.
Another popular article published on the forum was an examination of the language of colonial landscapes in Palestine and Australia by Zoe Davies. The article provides a compelling comparative analysis of how settler colonial regimes shape and are shaped by spatial discourse and naming practices. Drawing connections between the two geographies, Davies examined the symbolic and material erasure of Indigenous presence, offering a powerful reflection on land, identity, and resistance in both contexts.
Alam Talib also published a very timely piece on the fragmentation of political authority in Sudan amidst ongoing conflict and humanitarian collapse. Talib critically examines how overlapping international interventions, regional rivalries, and the erosion of state institutions have deepened the crisis and complicated prospects for a sustainable political resolution.
NEPF continues to uphold rigorous academic standards with all articles undergoing a double-blind peer review. In what is a unique offering in Australia, all articles published on the forum are open access and are intended for a broad audience including policymakers, security analysts, academic researchers, and international investors. For access to the articles - go to www.nepf.org.au