With much fanfare, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on 8 November the establishment of a new facility to help fund infrastructure in the Pacific. But a much more effective solution is available. While the initiative …
The late historian Eric Hobsbawm described the 20th century as the ‘age of extremes’, in which state socialism led to the gulag; liberal capitalism led to cyclical depressions; and nationalism led to two world wars. …
As travel broadens the mind, so summit season allows an Australian leader to deepen their understanding of the world. The presidential pretensions of the Oz prime ministership get fullest expression at the summit. Working at …
The world Following the arrest of former Interpol head Meng Hongwei, the organisation appointed a new president, South Korean Kim Jong-yang. Lindsey Snell, for The Daily Beast, explains how authoritarian countries use Interpol to persecute …
Suddenly, the debate about creating a joint European Union army has gained real momentum. After French President Emmanuel Macron recently proposed the idea, US President Donald Trump disparaged it (in a tweet, of course), but …
Indonesia and Australia were supposed to sign their long-awaited bilateral free-trade agreement last week at the East Asia Summit in Singapore. But the deal has apparently been put on hold. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said …
Images of the leaders of South and North Korea, Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un, laughing, smiling and even hugging, are incredibly powerful. They represent the hope that the Korean peninsula is actually entering a new …
In this podcast, Madeleine Nyst talks to Michael Shoebridge about the strategic implications of the PNG–Australia–US joint naval base on Manus Island and the message that sends to China. In the wake of the Bourke …
In an interesting, and highly significant, recent statement, China’s Foreign Affairs spokesman, Lu Kang, challenged Australia’s traditional perception that the South Pacific is within its sphere of influence. He stated that, ‘The Pacific islands are …
The beat Interpol not Russian for a new president South Korea’s Kim Jong-yang has been elected Interpol’s new president, despite predictions his opponent, Russian Alexander Prokopchuk, would win. Western representatives have been strongly critical of …
In the wake of the congressional midterms, the United States remains divided electorally and the primary issue continues to be President Donald Trump. American differences are now clearly in evidence in Congress, with Democrats having …
With headlines dominated by Canberra’s policy ‘step-up’ in the Pacific in response to China’s rapidly expanding influence in the region, it seems puzzling that the Morrison government would risk disrupting relations with two of its …