This Month
Trump’s tariffs deliver a harsh truth for Australia
Too little thought has been given to the future of the Australian economy against the backdrop of a protectionist America.
The day the international economic system died in the Rose Garden
It’s hard to say how bad the impact of Trump’s tariffs will be. But there is no doubt a global trade war would have major impacts on geoeconomic and geostrategic settings.
March
Trump is unlikely to turn on Australia. But what if he does?
If Trump turns on us, it might force Canberra to think about what there is to Australian foreign policy other than the US alliance, writes James Curran
The fundamental problem at the heart of defence policy
Australia is facing its most dangerous external environment since the Second World War. Yet, its capacity to deliver a meaningful capability to meet the hour operates on Old Father Time.
![Elbridge Colby, pictured with US Vice President JD Vance, dished out a back-handed compliment to Canberra, telling his senatorial inquisitors that “our Australian ally … [has] been with us even in our less advisable wars”.](https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.2834%2C$multiply_3%2C$ratio_1%2C$width_378%2C$x_83%2C$y_0/t_crop_custom/c_scale%2Cw_160%2Cq_52%2Cf_auto/ec35650bb6444c3766b62f671faea1161a55ffa7)
Richard Marles’ mindless talking points ignore Trumpian change
Elsewhere, Donald Trump’s return is being noticed, and acted upon with decisive swiftness. But it is not happening in Australia yet.
Albanese is as misinformed on the US alliance as live-fire drills
The petulant demand of tribute to the Trump empire and his transactional ethos surely now challenges the agreed balance sheet between Australia and America.
February
What if there is no way of Australia placating Trump?
The only certain thing is that the US president challenges all the assumptions Canberra has ever made about American security guarantees.
Paul Keating says Trump will save the world from WWIII
Trump’s “snatch-and-grab” foreign policy rejects the belief in US primacy and exception that was sliding towards a military confrontation with China.
January
Will Trump’s hard line on Beijing ‘blow up’ Canberra’s China policy?
Canberra insiders fear the second coming of Donald Trump could bring pressure on Australia to disown its “stabilisation” policy with Beijing.
Who can best manage Trump – Albanese or Dutton?
Instead of caution and guile from Canberra, we have the absurd posturing of the prime minister and opposition leader on who is best fitted to influence the mad king.
What Justin Trudeau’s exit means for progressive politics
Canada’s prime minister is only the latest left-of-centre political leader to leave office in a fog of disillusion and domestic discontent.
Marching blindfolded into the new Cold War
A new report into the funding of Australian strategic think tanks raises consequential issues for Australia’s global engagement
December 2024
Autocrats rise as Trump scorches the land of the free
Strongman leaders have lit a bonfire of the orthodoxies: the role of the state, neoliberalism, globalisation and the international “rules-based” order.
Right’s cancel culture distorts diplomacy
The government is under fierce attack for its UN voting patterns on Gaza, but it is voting in keeping with global norms.
Middle East braces for fresh chaos after Assad’s fall
Euphoria has swept the streets of Damascus after Bashar al-Assad’s brutal reign suddenly ended. But what comes next?
A crazy six hours in Seoul and the fragility of democracy
A presidential brain snap in South Korea has revived dark memories of the country’s past, with potentially damaging geopolitical ripples across north-east Asia.
November 2024
Trump’s foreign policy hand is stronger than you might think
Fears of American isolationism ignore that the president-elect’s international relations capabilities might be better than many think once he takes office.
The big split on China at the heart of Trump’s new team
Donald Trump and JD Vance have assembled a team of strident China hawks, hellbent on countering the rise of Beijing, but is it all for show?
Did you miss the Indonesian president’s November surprise?
While Australians were absorbed by the US election, the new leader of their large neighbour was busy strengthening ties with Russia and China.
Trump 2.0 is the reckoning for Australia’s alliance with the US
For years Australia has looked the other way when talk of the end of US primacy has been raised. Now we can’t avert our eyes.