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Foreign Affairs & Security

Yesterday

USS Halsey, JS Sazanami and HMAS Warramunga on a “regional presence deployment”.

Australia’s allies must step up in the Indo-Pacific

Readers’ letters on dealing with Donald Trump’s isolationism, looking to Congress for tariff relief, Rio’s clean energy move, Peter Dutton’s track record, and a CANZUK alliance.

This Month

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, centre, and French President Emmanuel Macron, right, are seeking a coalition of the willing to provide military support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

PM to join world leaders’ talks on Ukraine peacekeepers

Anthony Albanese will take part in a hook-up of dozens of world leaders to discuss ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov says humans are still critical in the intelligence process, and AI has some way to go to be fully reliable in war.

What I learnt about the future of war in Ukraine this week

The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, perhaps the best-known military intelligence leader in the world, has three lessons from this war.

Every leader – besides Vladimir Putin – who has turned up to meet Trump has left either humiliated, embarrassed, punished or empty handed.

Australia should take a leaf out of China playbook to handle Trump

Instead of dealing with Washington alone, the new administration should be dealt with as a collective challenge together with our partners and allies.

A woman arranges campaign posters in Nuuk, Greenland.

Greenland election shows it’s global capitalism coming to the rescue

In a political climate that has looked to the far right, it is not the progressive voice that is being sought to counter that.

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The Fin Podcast with James Curran and Andrew Tillett.

Khaki election: Trump’s ‘Mean Girls’ diplomacy prompts defence rethink

This week on The Fin podcast, Andrew Tillett and James Curran on how Donald Trump has disrupted the world order.

The real issue is Turnbull’s claim that Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton are engaged in “bipartisan gaslighting”.

Speaking truth to Trump not as easy as Turnbull says

Australia’s leaders simply cannot ignore the possible implications for the US alliance when crafting their public rhetoric about the serving commander-in-chief.

Dr George Foster at the Southern Sydney Synagogue daubed with a dozen Swastika signs.

Jewish community queries police on ‘bizarre’ antisemitic incidents

NSW Premier Chris Minns has defended labelling discovery of explosives at Dural terrorism, after accusations of “hyperbolic” and “kneejerk” response.

Police found explosives in a caravan near Dural, NSW.

Organised crime not antisemitism behind explosives, graffiti: police

Police believe one organised criminal was behind both the discovery of explosives in a caravan at Dural and multiple crimes directed at Sydney’s Jewish community.

A steel trading yard in Shanghai. An OECD report has found that China is the biggest cheat when it comes to subsidies to win market share.

China really is the biggest trade cheat. The data shows it

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has developed a forensic approach to counting industrial subsidies in all their forms. The Chinese results are illuminating.

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”.

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.

The Trump and Xi shows could not be more stark

For many observers, the contrast between China’s orderly political gathering at the Great Hall of the People this week and the White House chaos was stark.

President Donald Trump departs after addressing a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday night, local time.

ANZUS and AUKUS will never be the same

It is time to reassess the nature of our relationship with the United States and where it fits within our wider national interest.

Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress this week.

Yes, America is fickle – but it’s also our best ally

The only difference between Donald Trump and his Republican and Democrat predecessors is that he is nakedly honest about America’s interests.

US President Donald Trump departs following a joint session of Congress.

Trump’s glory moment upstages the world

The US president’s address to congress was Donald Trump’s favourite version of reality TV, featuring himself as the star.

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We have seen how Trump deals with countries he views as free riders. At the same time as the White House was melting down over Zelensky, Australia was meekly observing three Chinese war ships circumnavigating our continent.

Labor says supporting Ukraine an easy choice, but what about Taiwan?

The Chinese live-fire fiasco showed the government’s short-term domestic political considerations are hampering our ability to deter and damaging our credibility as an alliance partner.

Nurses Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh with Israeli social media personality Max Veifer.

Arrests in NSW, WA over alleged antisemitic and Islamophobic threats

Police have charged a nurse who allegedly threatened Jewish patients, while in WA a 16-year-old who allegedly threatened a mosque was charged for false alarm.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance during their explosive meeting in the Oval Office.

Zelensky ‘strongly thanks’ Albanese for backing Ukraine

The PM’s willingness to consider Australian involvement in peacekeeping is very welcome, very timely and very significant.

Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn (left) and former prime minister Scott Morrison.

‘Do we just keep fighting?’ Morrison’s advice to Zelensky

The former prime minister told a room of executives and business leaders to look past the US president’s “sound and fury” to his aim – peace in Europe.

The Australian Islamic House Masjid in Edmonson Park received the threat on its Instagram page.

Boy, 16 arrested after ‘abhorrent’ Sydney mosque threat

NSW Police say there is no “ongoing threat” to the community after a same-day arrest over an alleged threat against a religious centre at Edmondson Park in Sydney.

David Solomon and Stephen Schwartzman.

Why Trump is still business gold

Major US financial executives are confident about the strength of the US economy and the benefits of the president’s deregulatory agenda. How all the rest will play out is less certain.

Donald Trump’s cabinet and congressional Republicans have adopted their familiar pattern of following this president without demur.

Trump marches on regardless of US allies

The frantic manoeuvring over Ukraine is one more aspect of the revolution the US president is imposing on a deeply worried world. What happens next?

The real threat from China is beneath the water

Readers’ letters on Beijing’s alarming submarine strength, Donald Trump’s real objective, the case for wind power, and whether we should mourn the loss of casinos.

F-35A Lightning II aircraft.

Coalition’s fighter jet plan would cost ‘triple’ $3b pledge

“The opposition have massively underestimated the cost of their thought bubble,” said Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy.

 The putative leader of the free world is rushing to cut a peace deal with a brutal dictator.

Zelensky was right. But he didn’t read the MAGA room

The best outcome for Australia would be if Trump is pursuing a grand China strategy. But we also need to hedge against him cutting deals with tyrants.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs