Articles by: "Gareth Evans"
Vale George Shultz

The passing of former US Secretary of State George Shultz on 7 February, at the grand age of 100, was a sad moment for those of us who shared his passion for a world free …

Australia’s China problem

Australia’s China problem—official contacts frozen and many of our exports under siege—is now gaining attention far beyond our shores. Much of the world, given stark evidence of the economic havoc that China’s displeasure can wreak, …

An end to Australia’s democratic pantomime?

What explains Australia’s bizarre leadership churn? No prime minister has served a full term since 2007, with five different faces becoming prime minister in the last five years: Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull—and now, …

When may states use force?

The missile strikes against Syrian military installations that the United States, the United Kingdom and France recently carried out, in response to the government’s apparent use of chemical weapons in the rebel-held town of Douma, …

Preparing Asia for Trump

Whether or not US President-elect Donald Trump behaves better once in office than he did on the campaign trail, America’s global authority has already taken a battering, not least among its allies and partners in …

Australia’s puerile politics on the global stage

For students of incomprehensible behavior by otherwise apparently intelligent leaders, Australian politics is the gift that keeps on giving. The latest example is the decision by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government, just re-elected by a …

The South China Sea is not China’s

To no one’s surprise, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague has upheld all the key arguments of the Philippines in its case against China on the application of the United Nations Convention …

Playing by the rules in Asia

China’s adventurism in the South China Sea has prompted a change in Australian policymaking that merits wide international attention. In making maintenance of a “rules-based global order” a core strategic priority, Australia’s new Defence White …

The Anglosphere illusion

One of the most bizarre arguments made by the people who support Britain’s exit from the European Union is the notion that a self-exiled UK will find a new global relevance, and indeed leadership role, …