Australia differs from most other countries whose governance is based on Western precepts, because the nations that are most central to our external focus have historical, ethnic and religious backgrounds different to our own. Their …
Articles by: "John McCarthy"
In discussing Vietnamese politics, the commentariat falls back on the word ‘opaque’. This usually means that it does not know what is happening. The term is resurfacing in the wake of the resignation on 19 …
Lately, the West—particularly the United States—has been wooing India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the bling of a monied Indian wedding. Last month, Modi was US President Joe Biden’s guest for a full state visit—of …
Perhaps now, more than ever, is the time when Australia needs outstanding foreign policy thinkers. It has lost one of its best with the death of Allan Gyngell after a short illness. When he relinquished …
Cold wars don’t begin with a starting pistol. They grind into action. We are no longer waiting for one. We are there. The problem is that cold wars are either interspersed with hot ones or …
On 2 March, Vietnam’s National Assembly elected Vo Van Thuong as the country’s new president. He had been nominated by the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party the day before. Thuong, a southerner, is …
At the end of 2022, Australia’s Indo-Pacific policy is much better calibrated than in recent years. But the right balance between deterrence and engagement remains elusive. An inherent tension between the two concepts was apparent …
Now that the last Western aircraft have been sucked into the sky above Kabul airport—a ravaged monument to what might have been—thoughts here should turn to where the West’s latest failed Afghan adventure leaves Australia. …
The current debate in Australia about visas for Afghans who worked with Australian forces poses questions about the sort of people we are. Australia has historically veered between kindness to strangers and insularity tinged with …
Originally published 7 April 2020. The Australian government is properly focused on managing the domestic effects of Covid-19. But we must also think about a changing external environment. Middle powers are not generally prime movers in …
The Australian government is properly focused on managing the domestic effects of Covid-19. But we must also think about a changing external environment. Middle powers are not generally prime movers in major international shifts, tending rather …
Every country has its legends. They may be important to national self-esteem, but they’re not necessarily good history. Twenty years after the ballot in which the East Timorese decided their future, it’s time to reflect …