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  • 5 Dec 2019
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • United Kingdom
    • Africa

    Diego Garcia: The costs of defending an Indian Ocean outpost

    Samuel Bashfield
    Australian support for Britain’s contentious Chagos sovereignty claim risks delegitimising its South China Sea policy.
  • 2 Dec 2019
    • North Korea
    • South Korea
    • United States

    Moon Jae-in’s foreign policy reorientation

    Robert E Kelly
    He has spoken so favourably of Kim Jong-un that Moon has been criticised for acting as North Korea’s foreign minister.
  • 29 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • Australia
    • Southeast Asia

    Time with Trump: Australia and Southeast Asia compared

    Malcolm Cook
    Although the US president has yet to set foot in Australia, Australian leaders have got Trump’s attention.
  • 27 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • China
    • US-China

    China-US trade war: For all the bark, not much bite

    John Edwards
    Yes, there has been a reduction in exports between China and the US, but there are other reasons besides tariffs.
  • 21 Nov 2019
    • Global Economy
    • United States
    • China
    • Review

    Book review: China, the US, and the big break

    Stephen Grenville
    Detailed reporting enlivens what is a substantive and important look at the world’s big economic test.
  • 20 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • Türkiye

    Erdoğan’s treachery can’t sway Trump’s affections

    Lauren Williams
    Despite Turkey’s glaring betrayals, the US president gave Recep Erdoğan a glowing welcome last week in Washington.
  • 18 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • Australia
    • Migration

    Australia and immigration: Lessons from Reagan’s 1986 US amnesty law

    Alex Vedovi
    New research suggests that giving legal status to unauthorised immigrants can have multiple positive outcomes.
  • 18 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • Trade
    • China

    Trade war: From a phase one deal to perpetual peace

    Henry Gao
    How to reconcile deeper ideological differences underlying the US-China conflicts is a far greater challenge.
  • 15 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • The Trump Presidency

    Autocrats Anonymous

    Erin Hurley
    A White House confessional reveals Donald Trump incapable of change – a kind of Marvel superhero, but less interesting.
  • 12 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • Australia
    • Japan

    Connecting the dots on the Blue Dot Network

    Peter McCawley
    Beyond a press release trumpeting “high-quality infrastructure” and “global trust standards”, things are a bit fuzzy.
  • 12 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • North Korea

    North Korea’s deadline logic

    Khang Vu
    Pyongyang has declared an end-of-year cut off in the nuclear talks, yet does such a deadline really matter?
  • 11 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • China
    • US-China

    Signs of a deal between US and China, and a rethink

    John Edwards
    Both countries have good reasons to cool off the two-year trade war.
  • 7 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • Australia
    • Australian Public Opinion
    • Chart of the week

    Chart of the week: Trump and the US-Australia alliance

    Natasha Kassam
    Most Australians say the alliance makes us safer, but also makes Australia more likely to be drawn into a war in Asia.
  • 4 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • China

    China’s slam dunk of the NBA is a game changer

    Robert E Kelly
    Western businesses ditching ethics for market access isn’t new, but the NBA’s cowering has finally made it a story.
  • 1 Nov 2019
    • United States
    • Review

    Film review: Torture, lies, and videotape

    Sam Hendricks
    Adam Driver stars as Daniel Jones, who spent more than six years uncovering the dark secrets of the US war on terror.
  • 30 Oct 2019
    • Asia
    • United States
    • China
    • Malaysia

    Towards a peaceful and inclusive Asia

    Chin Tong Liew
    Resurrecting the idea of “Asia” can help give smaller states agency to guide China as a responsible and benign giant.
  • 25 Oct 2019
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • China
    • India
    • Japan

    Finally, some plain talk on the Quad

    Iain Henry
    The US Secretary of State dropped a fig leaf: Washington thinks the Quad can help put China back in its “proper place”.
  • 15 Oct 2019
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • United Kingdom

    Diplomatic immunity: Time to change the rules

    Alison Pert
    A fatal road accident in the UK has again put a spotlight on potential abuse of a system intended to protect envoys.
  • 14 Oct 2019
    • Global Economy
    • United States
    • Trade
    • China

    US-China trade talks: No deal yet, but a breakthrough of sorts

    John Edwards
    Donald Trump has begun talking about “phases”, suggesting he has a more realistic expectation of what it is possible.
  • 11 Oct 2019
    • United States
    • North Korea
    • South Korea

    Why does North Korea keep dragging its feet?

    Khang Vu
    Pyongyang is taking a high-risk, high-reward approach to its engagement with the US.
  • 9 Oct 2019
    • United States
    • Syria
    • Australia

    The sharp shift on Syria

    Brigid O’Farrell
    To pull out from northern Syria only invites more trouble – already ISIS is seeking advantage.
  • 8 Oct 2019
    • United States
    • Australia-United States Relations

    US shift on Syria puts Canberra in a bind

    Rodger Shanahan
    Trump’s announcement may or may not be followed through, but it has serious implications for Australia either way.
  • 7 Oct 2019
    • United States
    • The Trump Presidency

    The decline of US global leadership: Power without authority

    Allan Behm
    It is breathtaking just how quickly Donald Trump’s recklessness has eroded the US position in the world.
  • 3 Oct 2019
    • United States
    • The Trump Presidency

    Democrats and impeachment: A leap of faith

    Erin Hurley
    Americans have grown increasingly polarised over the past 30 years, but perhaps this is a way back from the abyss.
  • 3 Oct 2019
    • United States
    • China
    • Antarctica

    Poles apart: The long shadow of US-China competition

    Nengye Liu
    National rivalry should not get in the way of cooperation to stop the greatest threat to polar regions – climate change.
  • 2 Oct 2019
    • United States
    • The Trump Presidency

    Impeachment will stabilise US foreign policy

    Robert E Kelly
    Despite all the bluster, Donald Trump’s effect on foreign affairs has been too shallow to last beyond him.
  • 2 Oct 2019
    • United States
    • Australia

    Jumping at shadows: The great Aussie conspiracy to bring down Donald

    Daniel Flitton
    Australian spies among three US treaty-allies in an elaborate plot to derail the Trump campaign? Yeah, that’ll fly.
  • 1 Oct 2019
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • United Nations
    • Review

    An educated idealist is still a believer

    Erin Hurley
    Samantha Power’s memoir is no reflection in despair but instead a continuing call to action in support of rights.
  • 26 Sep 2019
    • United States
    • The Trump Presidency

    An impeachment drama intrudes on Trump’s three-act foreign policy

    Nick Bisley
    From running on autopilot to hyper-aggressive, the President now seems intent on deal-making – without constraints.
  • 23 Sep 2019
    • United States
    • Australia
    • The Trump Presidency

    Trump, Morrison, the media, and hearing what you want to hear

    Daniel Flitton
    The danger for journalists in normalising dealing with the President applies just as much to his bilateral counterparts.
  • 18 Sep 2019
    • United States
    • Australia

    A White House dinner for two: A tell-tale of tweets and transcripts

    Daniel Flitton
    Ahead of a Washington rendezvous, Donald Trump and Scott Morrison revel in their own words.
  • 17 Sep 2019
    • United States
    • Iran
    • Saudi Arabia

    Raising the stakes in the Gulf’s game of reprisals

    Rodger Shanahan
    With global energy markets rattled, the tit-for-tat exchanges have reached a new level.
  • 16 Sep 2019
    • United States
    • The Trump Presidency

    The last of the White House neocons

    Gorana Grgic
    Bolton’s ouster makes clear the US president’s policy isn’t “America first”, but “Trump first”.
  • 11 Sep 2019
    • United States
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan

    Not such a great game

    Adnan Aamir
    Pakistan staked its fortunes on brokering a US-Taliban peace deal in Afghanistan. Then Donald Trump scuttled it.
  • 11 Sep 2019
    • United States
    • Australia
    • The Trump Presidency

    Bolton sacking means Morrison will visit a White House again in chaos

    Daniel Flitton
    <p>So much diplomatic energy is wasted when Donald Trump decides to fire another key administration official.</p>
  • 6 Sep 2019
    • United States
    • China
    • Japan

    China’s Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands ploy to undercut the US-Japan alliance

    Andrew Taffer
    The 2012–13 crises revealed Beijing’s wedging strategy, and that needs to be understood before tensions flare again.
  • 3 Sep 2019
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • United Nations
    • Iran

    How the US keeps priority boarding ahead of Iran at the United Nations

    Carlisle Richardson
    If Iran’s Foreign Minister wants to speak at UN headquarters in New York, is the US obliged to issue him a visa?
  • 2 Sep 2019
    • United States
    • Trade
    • China

    A light amid the gloom of the US-China trade war

    John Edwards
    Everything leaks in Washington, except the 150-page summary of the trade talks – and that’s a good sign of seriousness.
  • 29 Aug 2019
    • United States
    • Australia
    • Iran

    Australia sails into muddy waters in the Gulf

    Brigid O’Farrell
    For how long will Scott Morrison be able to insist the build-up of a US-led coalition is “separate” to wider tensions?
  • 27 Aug 2019
    • Europe
    • Diplomacy
    • United States

    Macron tries to put the spark back into the G7

    Hervé Lemahieu
    By keeping Trump from derailing the proceedings, the self-anointed saviour of the West scored a tactical win.
  • 27 Aug 2019
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Australia
    • Iran

    Australia in the Gulf: Will we make a difference?

    Sam Bateman
    Coalition ships and aircraft may escort ships through the strait but legally they cannot patrol in or over the strait.
  • 22 Aug 2019
    • United States
    • Australia
    • Iran

    Australia in the Gulf: The order-based rules

    Daniel Flitton
    Scott Morrison backed the Iran nuclear deal to reinforce “the rules-based international system”, only to be Trumped.
  • 21 Aug 2019
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • Iran's Nuclear Program
    • Australia
    • Iran

    The reluctant coalition

    Rodger Shanahan
    Australia will back the US and join a maritime force in the Persian Gulf, but with no rush to deploy – which is telling.
  • 21 Aug 2019
    • Australia in the World
    • United States
    • China
    • European Union
    • United Kingdom

    Houses divided

    Allan Behm
    In Australia – and in a world in thrall to populists – political and business elites need to talk to each other.
  • 13 Aug 2019
    • United States
    • Japan
    • South Korea

    Japan and South Korea’s diplomatic dispute doesn’t need US mediation

    Lauren Richardson
    If history is a guide, the interests of Korean victims, not US strategic goals, must be put first.
  • 9 Aug 2019
    • United States
    • Iran
    • European Union
    • United Kingdom

    “Security Brexit”: Johnson follows Trump in the Persian Gulf

    Daniel Woker
    The UK has made a premature break with what should be a collective response to a crisis in Europe’s near-abroad.
  • 9 Aug 2019
    • Global Economy
    • United States
    • China

    US, China now have a three-week window to avert trade talks collapse

    John Edwards
    There will have to be a negotiation to enable negotiations to resume, and quick, otherwise the US election will intrude.
  • 8 Aug 2019
    • United States
    • North Korea

    Is North Korea still interested in working-level talks?

    Khang Vu
    Missile tests hardly seem to signal Pyongyang’s sincerity but may serve as a distraction tactic for wider aims.
  • 7 Aug 2019
    • Global Economy
    • United States
    • China

    China-US currency clash: Who’s manipulating who?

    Roland Rajah
    Trumpian currency intervention is a bigger risk than China weaponising the renminbi.
  • 7 Aug 2019
    • United States
    • Afghanistan
    • Pakistan

    Trump bets on Pakistan to deliver peace in Afghanistan

    Adnan Aamir
    The hope might rest with Imran Khan, but for all the warm words, Pakistan can do only so much to influence the Taliban.
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