Last Post: Foreign policy is a confused mess

The government’s foreign policy is confusing. We send the Foreign Minister to the inauguration of the most powerful person on Earth. We send the Attorney-General to repair our relations with Israel. We send our Deputy Prime Minister to Kiribati, while our Prime Minister sprinkles taxpayers’ stardust dollars at home.

John Field, Coolum Beach, Qld

It’s a ceasefire that Hamas could have brokered anytime in the past few months. Let’s see if they really want it.

Alex Cleave, North Fremantle, WA

Certainly some are taking the credit for the recent peace deal but let’s see what happens the moment things don’t work out quite as planned.

Brian D. Lee, Cairns, Qld

At present, the US has a president-elect, a de facto president and a President. Come January 20, they will be one and the same person.

Roseanne Schneider, Toowoomba, Qld

Given that voters re-elected Daniel Andrews after the Covid lockdowns disaster and deaths, presumably Californians will re-elect Gavin Newsom after suburbs were burnt to ash in winter while many fire hydrants had no water.

Geoff Farnell, Buderim, Qld

Perhaps one way of improving the security of synagogues and similar places of worship might be to install some form of after-hours street barrier, so that only authorised persons can get close to them.

Patrick Ball, Fern Tree, Tas

It cannot be a coincidence that cartoonist Johannes Leak has portrayed president-elect Donald Trump as the movie character Rambo, played by actor Sylvester Stallone, as Trump has appointed the actor to be a special ambassador to make Hollywood bigger, better and stronger than before. A top-class effort by Leak (17/1).

Susan McLochlan, Caboolture South, Qld

Yet again, Johannes Leak’s cartoon of “Rambo” Donald Trump towering above Joe Biden brilliantly illustrates the old adage, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Roslyn Phillips, Tea Tree Gully, SA

Peter Jennings is spot-on when he says while there will be joy at the hostages being freed, there is nothing else to rejoice as the “fundamental strategic fault lines in the Middle East” continue to exist (“Release of hostages a win but war not over”, 17/1). But it might make Hamas more hesitant about doing the same thing again.

Ken Clarke, Tweed Heads, NSW