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  • 24 Jan 2023
    • Asia and Pacific
    • Asia Pacific Regional Relationships
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australian Diplomacy

    Reality-checking the democracy agenda

    Eduard Lazarus
    Indonesia presents valuable lessons in Australia’s support for democracy in the Asia-Pacific.
  • 20 Jan 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Foreign Policy

    An enduring formula for Australian foreign policy

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    Relationships, forums and neighbours are still a winning combination for Canberra on the global stage.
  • 12 Jan 2023
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Multiculturalism

    Our public holidays should reflect Australia’s multicultural make-up

    Osmond Chiu
    Many countries in the region already have more public holidays to recognise diverse cultural and religious populations.
  • 28 Dec 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    How to Interpret 2022: Australians change government

    Clare Caldwell
    What our columnists and contributors made of the protagonists and power plays during this year’s federal election.
  • 8 Dec 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    We need to talk about war decisions

    Josh Wilson
    Australia has just embarked on a parliamentary inquiry into how it makes choices about when and why it goes to war.
  • 28 Nov 2022
    • Australia in the World

    Redemption complete? Australia’s image and the end of “sandpaper gate”

    Hugh Piper
    The only truly national sport is bound to local identity – but believing in exceptionalism is a dangerous game.
  • 28 Nov 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Diplomacy
    • Foreign Policy

    Confident, competent, inconsistent: Australia’s strategic personality

    Ian Hall
    Canberra’s report card receives a solid “pleasing result” on Southeast Asia, but a “could do better” on the Pacific.
  • 24 Oct 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Australia’s road to Geneva

    James Cotton
    The League of Nations gave delegates from the antipodes a taste for progressive internationalism that remains today.
  • 5 Sep 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • The Americas

    If Brazil’s ambassador could seed a few ideas with the Prime Minister 

    Daniel Flitton
    Australia has a growing personal connection to the South American giant, with diplomatic ties yet to catch up.
  • 2 Sep 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy

    “Should democracies ever lie?” Sort of. Maybe. Not really

    Hugh Piper
    Bending the truth corrupts confidence in democratic institutions and risks a race to the bottom.
  • 1 Sep 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Russia
    • United States

    Downer, Turnbull, Trump and a poke in the Five Eyes

    Daniel Flitton
    Just a diplomat doing his job? A new book puts the spotlight back on Australia, Russia and interference in the US election.
  • 29 Aug 2022
    • South Korea
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia's Defence Challenges
    • Australian Diplomacy

    The merits of transactionalism

    Victor Abramowicz
    Seeking deeper relationships doesn’t always best serve the national interest.
  • 25 Aug 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy

    Penny Wong on “30 minutes with the PM” and Australia’s global interest

    Daniel Flitton
    The Foreign Minister was asked about the new Interpreter series and her answer was an insight into balancing priorities.
  • 8 Aug 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia and Asia
    • Australian Diplomacy
    • Diplomacy

    The opportunities of cross-public service diplomacy

    Shaun Cameron
    Collaborations between Australia and its regional partners on skills, knowledge and capacity offer a win-win scenario.
  • 2 Jun 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Trade
    • G20
    • Australia
    • Indonesia

    Economic diplomacy: New Labor ministers are facing up to old issues

    Greg Earl
    Reshaping policies on the Pacific, Indonesia and domestic manufacturing is already revealing a changing of the guard.
  • 24 May 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia

    Rejuvenating DFAT: increasing diversity and becoming less insular

    Yun Jiang
    Harnessing the experience and skills of the entire Australian community is the foundation for strong diplomacy.
  • 19 May 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia

    Looking for a little sizzle from the 2022 election campaign

    Greg Earl
    As one of the world’s oldest stable democracies, Australia can do better in its election foreign policy discussion.
  • 13 May 2022
    • Australia in the World

    Payne v Wong: The foreign policy election debate 

    Sam Roggeveen
  • 13 Apr 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    Time to think big on the future of Australian diplomacy

    Hugh Piper
    A good start would put the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the centre of decision-making and coordination.
  • 24 Mar 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security

    Can states have strategic personalities?

    Ian Hall , Renee Jeffery
    Understanding Australian traits and behaviours could explain how the country works with others – and how it’s perceived.
  • 16 Mar 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australian Diplomacy

    Australian cricket’s soft power opportunity

    Hugh Piper
    A hat trick of factors calls for all-round success, and a recognition of bigger issues, including gender equality.
  • 22 Feb 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    A global Australia needs to be a confident Australia

    Allan Behm
    As a nation, we need to probe the boundaries and content of what passes for “received wisdom”.
  • 21 Feb 2022
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    Is bipartisanship on national security a good thing?

    Richard Maude
    The current era requires patient diplomacy and policy that survives a short election cycle. But not without debate.
  • 1 Feb 2022
    • Australia in the World

    Joining the “Barty party” in foreign and defence policy

    Bec Strating , Joanne Wallis
    If Australia wants a role model for how to present itself to the world, the tennis champ embodies humility and grit.
  • 20 Jan 2022
    • Australia in the World

    A test of Australia’s place in the world

    Daniel Flitton
    For a sporting nation, why doesn’t competition with the region hold more appeal?
  • 11 Aug 2021
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy

    Pandemic plight of international students will leave Australia poorer

    Aaron Soans
    Lonely days during an education abroad will deplete Australia’s soft power reserves.
  • 16 Jul 2021
    • Australia in the World

    From polls to posts, Dili and the DMZ, my unexpected think tank career

    Alex Oliver
    Farewell after 14 years charting Australia in the world from the country’s leading foreign policy research institute.
  • 30 Jun 2021
    • Global Issues
    • Australia in the World

    Rules-based order: What’s in a name?

    Ben Scott
    The genesis, rise and complex ambitions of one of the most speculated about concepts in global politics right now.
  • 25 Mar 2021
    • Global Economy
    • Australia in the World
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • WTO

    Economic diplomacy: Deploying soft power and the future of trade

    Greg Earl
    Not-so-negative globalism, the not-so-predictable future of supply chains, and maybe not much change on China.
  • 19 Feb 2021
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia

    What happened to Australia’s “soft power”?

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    A review of soft power was trumpeted as a chance to increase Australia’s persuasive force. So why was it abandoned?
  • 28 Jan 2021
    • Australia in the World
    • Human rights
    • International law
    • United Nations

    Australia in focus at the UN Human Rights Council

    Shannon Maree Torrens
    Despite Australia’s history of support for human rights, a formal review offers a serious reality check.
  • 25 Jan 2021
    • Australia in the World
    • Europe
    • United States
    • Global Economic Governance
    • Multilateral Institutions

    The US and the next leader of the OECD

    Daniel F. Runde
    Australia’s candidate for Secretary-General is a favourable contender, but American backing is still up in the air.
  • 25 Jan 2021
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    An anthem that is neither fair nor advancing equality

    Warwick McFadyen
    More than changing a word is needed if a song is to truly capture Australia.
  • 22 Dec 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Coronavirus

    The strange connections of isolation

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    Reflecting on a year when a virus closed borders and drove us all together.
  • 9 Dec 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia

    Do politicians really make “excellent envoys”?

    Jeffrey Robertson
    A politician turned plenipotentiary can make a powerful statement. Yet it can also undermine public service neutrality.
  • 3 Dec 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • Australia

    More pollies in more posts

    Daniel Flitton
    Are changing contours of global power or suspicions of the “swamp” driving more politicians to fill key diplomatic jobs?
  • 26 Nov 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    Who was Hugo Grotius and what is a “Grotian world”?

    Renee Jeffery
    The PM extols a philosopher who put moral conduct at the centre of international relations.
  • 24 Nov 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Australia

    Australia’s PM: “How good is international relations theory!”

    Daniel Flitton
    Scott Morrison is adopting a philosophical approach to strategic challenges – but don’t confuse this with doing nothing.
  • 2 Nov 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • United Nations

    But what does “rules-based order” mean?

    Ben Scott
    For Australia to shape the future order, it will have to get more specific about what it wants.
  • 3 Sep 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy

    The shrinking of the Australian mind

    William Stoltz
    Australian strategic decision-makers need lessons in our once-grand ambitions – and accomplishments – in world affairs.
  • 18 Aug 2020
    • Australia in the World

    Foreign policy identity politics is a dangerous path

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    Populism reduces choices and promotes inflexibility. Australia’s foreign policy and national security require restraint.
  • 17 Jul 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Diplomacy
    • United States
    • China
    • Coronavirus

    COVIDcast: Malcolm Turnbull on geopolitics and the pandemic

    Malcolm Turnbull , Hervé Lemahieu
    The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region and the world.
  • 9 Jul 2020
    • Australia in the World

    What resilience really means as a guide for Australian policymaking

    Jacob Taylor
    A defensive attitude without greater engagement with the entire global system would leave the country more vulnerable.
  • 3 Jul 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Defence & Security
    • Indonesia

    Australia’s Strategic Update: What it means for Indonesia

    Greta Nabbs-Keller
    Jakarta’s response is likely to be complex and will require deft management by Australian policymakers.
  • 24 Jun 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Australian Public Opinion

    A pivot to globalism, but grievances lurk

    Darren Lim
    Covid-19 has reminded Australians that multilateralism matters, while the economic shock has yet to play out.
  • 8 May 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Coronavirus

    COVIDcast Episode 10: Australia’s role in shaping a post-corona world

    Penny Wong , Hervé Lemahieu
    The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world.
  • 29 Apr 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • United States
    • Technology
    • Coronavirus

    Information warfare in the theatre of Covid-19

    Damien Spry
    Viral misinformation thrives amid the very conditions we see today – a lesson China appears to have identified.
  • 23 Apr 2020
    • Australia in the World

    Was 2020 Australia’s peak?

    Melissa Conley Tyler , Tiffany Liu
    The idea was to chart future goals. Looking back, has the global ambition from the “Australia 2020 Summit” stacked up?
  • 23 Apr 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Pacific Islands
    • United States
    • Trade
    • China
    • Japan

    Statesman Turnbull steps up: Secret letters, taming Trump, due credit

    Greg Earl
    Business with Donald, shared history with Xi and a Pacific ploy are revealing of the former PM’s foreign ambition.
  • 25 Mar 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Coronavirus

    Australia can’t let foreign aid fall victim to Covid-19

    Philip Citowicki
    A review of the foreign aid budget is an opportunity to refocus, not to make more ill-conceived cuts.
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