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.
What Trump has in store for six global hotspots
Capitals around the world are dusting off the old briefing books from Donald Trump’s first term, but this time could be a mix of the old and the totally unexpected.
How Albanese can deal with Trump
The prime minister won’t need to ingratiate himself with the US president as other leaders have done – and he has some advantages.
How the Wallabies’ 1984 grand slam tour changed rugby forever
The tour not only marked Australian rugby’s coming of age, it influenced the decision of the code to turn professional just over a decade later.
Trump set to trigger global shockwaves – again
Donald Trump appears on his way back to Washington after Democrats failed to connect to the basic human need for recognition.
‘Don’t hit the panic button on Rudd’ if Trump wins
Recalling Kevin Rudd from Washington because of his past criticism of Donald Trump would be rash, said Dennis Richardson, Australia’s former ambassador to the US.
America’s search for a new role continues
Despite the mediocrity of the candidates, America is not down for the count. But it is wasting precious time to redefine its world role