Australian Diplomacy
Taking Australian statecraft from good to great
Australia has good reason to be confident about its place in the Indo-Pacific according to the latest edition of the Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index. The Index paints a picture…
Reality-checking the democracy agenda
Eight months into the Labor administration led by Anthony Albanese, Australia has begun to reinvoke, albeit cautiously, the idea of supporting democracy and a rules-based order in…
Confident, competent, inconsistent: Australia’s strategic personality
There is broad agreement that Australian diplomacy and defence policy need to change to meet the challenges posed by a more dynamic region. But does Australia need something more …
The merits of transactionalism
In July this year, a South Korean delegation visited Canberra to discuss potential arms sales. While various capabilities were mooted, from cannon to submarines, the visitors made…
There must be a better way: Australia’s diplomatic appointments
It’s strange that it takes controversy around a sub-national trade envoy to drive public scrutiny of Australia’s diplomatic appointments. While former politicians and advisers…
The opportunities of cross-public service diplomacy
When people think about Australian diplomacy they think of diplomats, embassies and the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). But the relationships that…
The future is female, but women in diplomacy still under-represented
Gains for women in diplomacy in recent years indicate we have much to celebrate. Yet, with increasing pressures on diplomats operating in a complex (post-)Covid global environment…
Wong’s own brand of diplomacy: will it work?
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has travelled non-stop, more or less, since her appointment on 23 May, having flown off to Tokyo for the Quad leaders’ summit one…
Resetting Australia’s relationship with the Pacific – three ideas
For almost 20 years, I have been working for, and on behalf of, the Australian government in the Pacific. And, like many of my Pacific Islander friends and colleagues, I was not…
Australian cricket’s soft power opportunity
Like it or not, the Australian cricket team are some of the nation’s most conspicuous representatives on the world stage. And right now, both the women’s and men’s teams have the…