Articles by: "Graeme Dobell"
Parliament’s power and the war powers

To examine how Australia goes to war, parliament must examine itself. How much can parliament touch the war prerogative of the prime minister and cabinet? What say should parliament have, if any, in the most …

Australia’s PNG–Bougainville balance

When straddling a barbed-wire fence, shifting your feet risks a wound ranging from hurt to horrendous. Shift carefully, not carelessly or inadvertently. For two decades, Australia has been doing a delicate straddle between Papua New …

The tides beat against Xi Jinping

As the Chinese Communist Party convenes next week to embellish and extend Xi Jinping’s role as emperor, the mandate of heaven wobbles. The imperial mandate has been translated into a Marxist mandate of history. Heaven …

The US comes back to the South Pacific

The first US summit with South Pacific leaders offers symbolism and the chance of future substance. The US announces, ‘We’re back!’ The summit on Wednesday and Thursday is a statement that the US can no …

Two prime ministers on Australia’s China challenge

‘The past decade has seen a huge turnaround in Australia’s attitudes towards China. Handling this relationship is unquestionably our biggest foreign policy challenge at present. China is our largest export destination. Approximately 1.4 million Australians …