9 Sep 2021
ANZUS and Trumpism
Australia needs to acknowledge its blind spots in its 70-year friendship with America.
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8 Sep 2021
9/11: A President reacts on a day of fear and anger
An absorbing new documentary captures the first response of the Bush administration to the horror inflicted on America. -
1 Sep 2021
Alliance management – a history in pictures
In a game of diplomatic spot-the-difference, a sense of continuity is evident at recent AUSMIN meetings. -
1 Sep 2021
Will ANZUS make it to 80?
A war in Asia would be a true test of the “unbreakable” bonds said to define the US-Australia relationship. -
30 Aug 2021
Debating the alliance
An ambitious attempt to open new avenues to assess the US-Australia alliance misjudges the chance of independent action. -
25 Aug 2021
Afghanistan holds lessons for American power in Asia
The US will one day ask the same question about its presence in Asia that it did of Afghanistan: is it still worth it? -
24 Aug 2021
Duterte’s back-down on US forces in Philippines
After several threats to scrap the agreement giving US troops a legal basis in the country, challenges are lingering. -
23 Aug 2021
Why politics and pandemics don’t mix
Michael Lewis’ stranger-than-fiction take on how America’s public health mechanisms failed in the face of Covid-19. -
20 Aug 2021
Can the US and China cooperate on climate?
Deals, denials and grand bargains on the road to the COP26 climate change conference. -
19 Aug 2021
North Korea calling
The hotline between Pyongyang and Seoul is operational again despite irritation at joint US military ops in the region. -
19 Aug 2021
Decoding intelligence on Afghanistan
An official inquiry should answer much wider questions about the US mission than only those of the final few weeks. -
16 Aug 2021
Afghanistan: the right time to leave
There was no “low cost” solution for the United States other than endless conflict. -
6 Aug 2021
Refreshing American soft power in the Pacific Islands
Tales of past wars no longer resonate. The US has better stories to tell, not least of its own stumbles with democracy. -
3 Aug 2021
India-US ties: Work in progress
“Quad” partners they may be, but the US is performing a delicate dance around its human rights concerns in India. -
28 Jul 2021
Far more world leaders visit China than America
If leadership diplomacy was an Olympic sport, Beijing beats Washington to the gold medal. -
23 Jul 2021
Shouldering their fair share? The ANZUS allies in the Pacific Islands
A reported pivot by special forces to the region raises questions about the role expected of Australia and New Zealand. -
22 Jul 2021
US-China rivalries: What matters for ASEAN
Southeast Asian nations have learned to be wary of big powers offering promises of security in return for loyalty. -
20 Jul 2021
Can Biden’s Build Back Better World compete with the Belt and Road?
Overhyping China’s BRI can be self-defeating and play into Beijing’s hands. -
8 Jul 2021
Ukraine: Balancing China and the rest
With strong links to Washington, Kiev finds itself economically bound to Beijing. -
8 Jul 2021
Staying ahead in global tech leadership
As US-China rivalry creates the prospect of competing technology ecosystems, practical measures will maintain an edge. -
6 Jul 2021
Australia right to back Biden on democracy
Foreign policy trade-offs are an uncomfortable truth on the road to rules-based freedom. -
1 Jul 2021
Donald Rumsfeld: Defiance defined by Iraq
Rumsfeld’s memorable quips should not obscure his central role in the catastrophe of the 2003 Iraq invasion. -
29 Jun 2021
Hsinchu: Taiwan’s city at the centre of China’s conundrum
Semiconductors are the drivers of the digital economy. The US needs them. So does China. And Taiwan makes the most. -
24 Jun 2021
North Korea: The long-awaited fallout of summit diplomacy
Pyongyang is hinting at talks. But only at a price. And history shows it will then ask for more. -
21 Jun 2021
Believing Biden
The US President has persuaded European allies of his values-based policy. But will such faith carry home? -
18 Jun 2021
Maladies, remedies and optimising security
A closer defence relationship with the US must be balanced by nuanced diplomacy to most benefit Australia’s security. -
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11 Jun 2021
Australia should steer the US off a values-based Indo-Pacific strategy
Rallying the world’s democracies to check China’s power can only unite a narrow coalition in the region. -
9 Jun 2021
China overtakes America in presidential diplomacy
Memo for the White House: You should get out more. -
8 Jun 2021
Biden’s agenda is anything but “normal”
Instead, the new President has taken on a wildly ambitious policy agenda that captures decades of progressive work. -
3 Jun 2021
Moon’s last, best chance after Biden summit
The South Korean president came to Washington for vaccine supplies and to shore up a legacy for North Korea engagement. -
3 Jun 2021
Nord Stream 2: Assessing Russia’s “serious geopolitical victory”
The US has realised the energy pipeline is nearly completed. But that might not be the end of the opposition. -
1 Jun 2021
China’s never-ending Tibet paranoia
The growing US–China rivalry is changing the dynamics of the contest over Tibet. -
1 Jun 2021
Biden-Putin summit: Managing expectations
Plenty of problems could benefit from the US and Russia working together. But don’t confuse talk with approval. -
31 May 2021
Is Southeast Asia ready for a US-China tech decoupling?
Some regional countries have sought to diversify. But this doesn’t necessarily mean choosing sides. -
24 May 2021
“Flexible” is the new North Korea policy buzzword
A responsive approach has clear benefits, but Washington and Seoul must be careful not to fall out of line. -
11 May 2021
Biden’s North Korea review is a diplomatic victory for Moon Jae-in
South Korea’s president has won the new administration in Washington over to his way of thinking. -
6 May 2021
Economic diplomacy: Patent politics and trade deal twists
President Biden moves to suspend vaccine patents, RCEP ramps up, IA-CEPA gets a lesson and US dollar reserves tank. -
6 May 2021
Biden’s North Korea plans come into view
Short on details, the US president’s policy positions still leave plenty of room for speculation. -
30 Apr 2021
Telephone diplomacy: Joe Biden signals a new approach towards Turkey
In acknowledging the Armenian genocide, the US president has created waves with a long-standing ally. -
27 Apr 2021
High hopes and hot air on climate change
Good pledges, moral suasion and new impetus for accountability have yet to sway the recalcitrant. -
22 Apr 2021
Economic diplomacy: Supply chains, ASEAN wanes, and Japan’s coal dump
Will government have to pick a winner for 6G networks to show the US and Japan as “global leaders in innovation”? -
21 Apr 2021
China’s Twitter trolls make bid for vacant Trump property
“Own the libs” obnoxiousness failed, but China’s social media diplomats haven’t all got the memo. -
20 Apr 2021
“America’s back” in the Paris Agreement. For how long?
Climate politics is enjoying an optimistic moment, but a Trumpist rerun would be ruinous for environmental diplomacy. -
20 Apr 2021
Roosevelt’s lessons for nations across generations
Over a century ago, Theodore Roosevelt declared “the quality of the leaders is all-important”. It’s as true now as then. -
19 Apr 2021
Sticks and carrots in Biden’s Russia strategy
Washington deserves two cheers for its early moves against Moscow. But the approach remains fundamentally reactive. -
19 Apr 2021
America and China: Imagining the worst
A little well-crafted speculation can shake off complacency and allow people to focus on the true challenge. -
16 Apr 2021
Light at the beginning of the tunnel?
A look at the first months of the Biden administration gives cause for optimism – and caution. -
13 Apr 2021
Iran-US-Israel: Boxing out of the shadows
Gradual progress in talks to revive the nuclear deal may be dealt a blow by a series of “grey-zone” attacks. -
12 Apr 2021
The Quad (finally) delivers: Can it be sustained?
The future of the grouping might well be determined by China’s behaviour.