Despite the cuts, the United States will remain the world’s military giant for the foreseeable future, writes Andy Butfoy
05 Apr 13 Comments (0)Japan’s paradoxical shift to the right
A nationalist troika formed in the run-up to this month’s Japanese election poses challenges for the region, writes Tessa Morris-Suzuki
06 Dec 12 Comments (3)The diplomat who read Dostoyevsky
Tormented by self-doubt, regretting missed opportunities, George Kennan helped shape the postwar world, writes Graeme Dobell
08 Feb 12 Comments (0)
The diplomat
Geoffrey Barker reviews Philip Flood’s memoir of a career in the diplomatic service and as an agency head
24 Oct 11 Comments (1)Running the foreign service under Rudd
DFAT has emerged from a resourcing “trough,” according to departmental secretary Dennis Richardson. But there’s still a long way to go, writes Geoffrey Barker
31 Aug 11 Comments (1)Doing the right thing
BOOKS | Brett Evans reviews a surprising account of Guantanamo Bay’s first 100 days
06 Dec 10 Comments (0)All or nothing?
The WikiLeaks disclosures show the need to balance private and public diplomacy, writes Geoffrey Barker
02 Dec 10 Comments (2)Gaza: symbol and flashpoint
Can the Obama administration, bogged down in Afghanistan, rise to the challenge, asks Sumantra Bose
10 Jun 10 Comments (1)The Hitch from central casting
In terror of boredom, Christopher Hitchens talked to a receptive audience at the Sydney Opera House, writes Brett Evans
08 Oct 09 Comments (1)Obama the realist idealist
The failure of Woodrow Wilson at the Paris peace conference holds a lesson for the US president, writes Geoffrey Barker
02 Aug 09 Comments (0)Hoping for the best and hedging against the worst
Despite what Paul Keating says, an ambivalent attitude to China is justified by the facts, argues Geoffrey Barker
10 Jul 09 Comments (0)The good, the bad and the Section 420s
The Australia–India relationship is on the cusp of something deep and mutually beneficial. It would be tragic if thugs and misunderstandings got in the way, writes Robin Jeffrey
04 Jun 09 Comments (4)Collision course
Abandoned in the 1960s, “forward defence” makes a disturbing reappearance in the government’s defence white paper, argues Brian Toohey
05 May 09 Comments (0)The intellectual American alliance
For the American president and the Australian prime minister this week’s G20 meeting is a vital test, writes Bruce Grant
01 Apr 09 Comments (0)Why are we in Afghanistan?
Is Australia sleepwalking through a conflict with mixed objectives and uncertain prospects, asks Dennis Altman
10 Mar 09 Comments (0)After the exodus
The latest release of cabinet papers is a reminder of the political stresses triggered by the arrival of Indochinese boat people in the mid 1970s. Bruce Grant, author of The Boat People, looks at those events and their implications
29 Jan 09 Comments (0)
