25 May 2023
Where has Australia’s foreign policy ambition gone?
Labor has adopted a status quo attitude to the world, lacking a vision for reshaping global affairs.
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3 May 2023
Remembering Allan Gyngell, “the finest mind in Australian foreign policy”
Analyst, diplomat, author. Few Australians could better judge Australia’s place in the world. -
24 Apr 2023
Defence Review: DFAT gets a boost
For the first time, a major Defence policy statement recommends more diplomatic funding. -
24 Apr 2023
Defence Strategic Review: Strong chords, with one jarring note
A promising strategy, but is there tension with AUKUS? -
12 Apr 2023
Australia’s delicate dance with the United States and China
Could Canberra’s deft management of its Beijing relationship influence policy in Washington? -
21 Mar 2023
James Goldrick, navies, oceans, trade, law, danger and history
A man of both humility and tremendous intellect was an immeasurable asset to Australia’s naval know-how. -
20 Mar 2023
Australia, China, AUKUS and the squandered advantage
Canberra appears to have overlooked the tyranny of distance as its chief asset in regional military deterrence. -
15 Mar 2023
A jurisdiction over the high seas
Australia will be a key player in the new agreement governing the globe’s largest natural habitat. -
13 Mar 2023
Taking Australian statecraft from good to great
To remain effective in Asia, Canberra must do more with less, multiplying the effects of its bureaucratic tools. -
6 Feb 2023
The big picture: five lessons for five years of the Asia Power Index
Superpower rivalry matters – but don’t be blinded to the role of smaller players in a region of many contests. -
24 Jan 2023
Reality-checking the democracy agenda
Indonesia presents valuable lessons in Australia’s support for democracy in the Asia-Pacific. -
20 Jan 2023
An enduring formula for Australian foreign policy
Relationships, forums and neighbours are still a winning combination for Canberra on the global stage. -
12 Jan 2023
Our public holidays should reflect Australia’s multicultural make-up
Many countries in the region already have more public holidays to recognise diverse cultural and religious populations. -
28 Dec 2022
How to Interpret 2022: Australians change government
What our columnists and contributors made of the protagonists and power plays during this year’s federal election. -
8 Dec 2022
We need to talk about war decisions
Australia has just embarked on a parliamentary inquiry into how it makes choices about when and why it goes to war. -
28 Nov 2022
Redemption complete? Australia’s image and the end of “sandpaper gate”
The only truly national sport is bound to local identity – but believing in exceptionalism is a dangerous game. -
28 Nov 2022
Confident, competent, inconsistent: Australia’s strategic personality
Canberra’s report card receives a solid “pleasing result” on Southeast Asia, but a “could do better” on the Pacific. -
24 Oct 2022
Australia’s road to Geneva
The League of Nations gave delegates from the antipodes a taste for progressive internationalism that remains today. -
5 Sep 2022
If Brazil’s ambassador could seed a few ideas with the Prime Minister
Australia has a growing personal connection to the South American giant, with diplomatic ties yet to catch up. -
2 Sep 2022
“Should democracies ever lie?” Sort of. Maybe. Not really
Bending the truth corrupts confidence in democratic institutions and risks a race to the bottom. -
1 Sep 2022
Downer, Turnbull, Trump and a poke in the Five Eyes
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
The merits of transactionalism
Seeking deeper relationships doesn’t always best serve the national interest. -
25 Aug 2022
Penny Wong on “30 minutes with the PM” and Australia’s global interest
The Foreign Minister was asked about the new Interpreter series and her answer was an insight into balancing priorities. -
8 Aug 2022
The opportunities of cross-public service diplomacy
Collaborations between Australia and its regional partners on skills, knowledge and capacity offer a win-win scenario. -
2 Jun 2022
Economic diplomacy: New Labor ministers are facing up to old issues
Reshaping policies on the Pacific, Indonesia and domestic manufacturing is already revealing a changing of the guard. -
24 May 2022
Rejuvenating DFAT: increasing diversity and becoming less insular
Harnessing the experience and skills of the entire Australian community is the foundation for strong diplomacy. -
19 May 2022
Looking for a little sizzle from the 2022 election campaign
As one of the world’s oldest stable democracies, Australia can do better in its election foreign policy discussion. -
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13 Apr 2022
Time to think big on the future of Australian diplomacy
A good start would put the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the centre of decision-making and coordination. -
24 Mar 2022
Can states have strategic personalities?
Understanding Australian traits and behaviours could explain how the country works with others – and how it’s perceived. -
16 Mar 2022
Australian cricket’s soft power opportunity
A hat trick of factors calls for all-round success, and a recognition of bigger issues, including gender equality. -
22 Feb 2022
A global Australia needs to be a confident Australia
As a nation, we need to probe the boundaries and content of what passes for “received wisdom”. -
21 Feb 2022
Is bipartisanship on national security a good thing?
The current era requires patient diplomacy and policy that survives a short election cycle. But not without debate. -
1 Feb 2022
Joining the “Barty party” in foreign and defence policy
If Australia wants a role model for how to present itself to the world, the tennis champ embodies humility and grit. -
20 Jan 2022
A test of Australia’s place in the world
For a sporting nation, why doesn’t competition with the region hold more appeal? -
11 Aug 2021
Pandemic plight of international students will leave Australia poorer
Lonely days during an education abroad will deplete Australia’s soft power reserves. -
16 Jul 2021
From polls to posts, Dili and the DMZ, my unexpected think tank career
Farewell after 14 years charting Australia in the world from the country’s leading foreign policy research institute. -
30 Jun 2021
Rules-based order: What’s in a name?
The genesis, rise and complex ambitions of one of the most speculated about concepts in global politics right now. -
25 Mar 2021
Economic diplomacy: Deploying soft power and the future of trade
Not-so-negative globalism, the not-so-predictable future of supply chains, and maybe not much change on China. -
19 Feb 2021
What happened to Australia’s “soft power”?
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 focus at the UN Human Rights Council
Despite Australia’s history of support for human rights, a formal review offers a serious reality check. -
25 Jan 2021
The US and the next leader of the OECD
Australia’s candidate for Secretary-General is a favourable contender, but American backing is still up in the air. -
25 Jan 2021
An anthem that is neither fair nor advancing equality
More than changing a word is needed if a song is to truly capture Australia. -
22 Dec 2020
The strange connections of isolation
Reflecting on a year when a virus closed borders and drove us all together. -
9 Dec 2020
Do politicians really make “excellent envoys”?
A politician turned plenipotentiary can make a powerful statement. Yet it can also undermine public service neutrality. -
3 Dec 2020
More pollies in more posts
Are changing contours of global power or suspicions of the “swamp” driving more politicians to fill key diplomatic jobs? -
26 Nov 2020
Who was Hugo Grotius and what is a “Grotian world”?
The PM extols a philosopher who put moral conduct at the centre of international relations. -
24 Nov 2020
Australia’s PM: “How good is international relations theory!”
Scott Morrison is adopting a philosophical approach to strategic challenges – but don’t confuse this with doing nothing. -
2 Nov 2020
But what does “rules-based order” mean?
For Australia to shape the future order, it will have to get more specific about what it wants. -
3 Sep 2020
The shrinking of the Australian mind
Australian strategic decision-makers need lessons in our once-grand ambitions – and accomplishments – in world affairs.