At 50-60 kpc, the Magellanic Clouds represent the nearest interacting
system to our Galaxy. Numerical simulations indicate the clouds are bound
to one another, and along with the Galaxy, form a tertiary system.
With ongoing development of observational hardware in Australia, Japan and
Chile, dedicated studies of the Magellanic System are now at their most
prolific. Propelled by recent high resolution and sensitive observations
across a number of important transitions: Neutral Hydrogen, Carbon
Monoxide and also at Micron wavelengths, our current rate for
understanding the Magellanic System is one of the most rapid and
comprehensive of any interacting group.
Such a comprehensive reservoir of information has re-invigorated the
search for understanding the origins and evolution of the Magellanic
System. As such, the evolutionary history of the Magellanic System has
once again become the occasionally contentious subject of vigourous
debate.
I will present a distillation of some of the most recent work which focuses on the Magellanic System and which has been recently presented at a Magellanic Clouds workshop in Vienna. I will also discuss studies of the Magellanic Bridge ISM and its turbulence; the molecular and dust component, and also the state of the art in numerical simulations.