Articles by: "Graeme Dobell"
Kick kleptocrats in the wallet

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 …

Oz election 2022: Covid, climate and China

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 …

Australia at the South Pacific kava bowl

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 …

Micronesia’s exit from the Pacific Islands Forum

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 …