Fiji will soon vote on Frank Bainimarama, the military supremo who slowly morphed into an elected leader. The man who has driven and dominated Fiji’s politics since 2000 had urgent heart surgery in Australia in …
Articles by: "Graeme Dobell"
‘Tonight, as we gather, war rages in Europe. The global pandemic is not over. Devastating floods have battered our communities. We live in uncertain times.’ — Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, budget speech, 29 March 2022 The …
The debate about whether we’re in a new cold war has a decisive, brutal answer. For Europe, the lines of cold war 2.0 are drawn, no matter how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ends. NATO doubles …
As Australia must close the gap between its First Nations peoples and other Australians, so it must open the door to Melanesians. The two needs are distinct and separate. Yet they share elements of necessity …
Russia grinds towards military objectives in Ukraine as the first smartphone war confounds and surprises. Networked warfare meets networked people. The fog of war turns to patches of mist. Modern weapons with all the sensors …
International relations is work of desperate hope, beset by brutal lessons. For the society of states, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s monstrous appointment with history in Ukraine is trauma and test and teaching moment. Turning Russia …
The world aims to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin and his cronies with economic sanctions. Follow the logic of sanctions to reach for a powerful weapon to threaten autocrats and kleptocrats. Kick them where it …
Big international issues shape a nation’s domestic equations. And so the Australian election to be held by 21 May will be shaped by pandemic, decarbonisation and geopolitical rivalry. Covid, climate and China are problems so …
Over 200 years, Australia went out into the South Pacific as bible-bashers and blackbirders, as carpetbaggers, captains and colonisers. We sailed and traded and built and searched for both gold and souls. Always, we sought …
The slow-motion crash of Micronesia’s break with the Pacific Islands Forum has reached the one-year mark. Back on 8 February 2021, the Micronesia five—the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru and Palau—announced they …
Follow the dollars to see what worries Australia about China in the South Pacific. The cash flows to Melanesia from an alert and alarmed Australia: the partnership to electrify 70% of Papua New Guinea; a …
On the politics of climate change, Australia crawls slowly from the cave. To mix the cave metaphor, we’ve passed peak troglodyte. Light has pierced the dark. Troglodytes still growl and glower, but those who ignore …