The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed, the world is ruled by little else. Practical…
- Adjunct Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute, University of Technology Sydney
For believers in the possibility of progress in human affairs these are troubling times. There are enough political, economic and environmental problems to give even the headiest of optimists pause for…
Just in case you hadn’t heard, Perth is now officially the centre of the universe – or the geopolitical universe, at least. This comes as no surprise to those of us who actually live there, of course…
The news that Australia is about to spend $24 billion on a new generation of fighter aircraft has been greeted with remarkably little critical comment or analysis. It is hard to imagine that any other…
The news that the ABC is to establish an ‘online portal’ in China that will allow it to ‘represent and sell media content across China’ has been greeted with understandable enthusiasm by the ABC. The ABC…
How times change. One of the more unexpected ideas to emerge from Tony Abbott’s largely successful tour of northeast Asia is that Australia’s relationship with China can be built on mutual trust. It’s…
Despite the misgivings of the sceptics, prime minister Tony Abbott’s high-profile, potentially high-risk trade mission to northeast Asia could be a triumph. The free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan is…
The much anticipated latest summary of peer-reviewed climate science by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has finally been delivered. The jury, as they say, is unambiguously in, even…
Even those Conversation readers with the highest of brows will have heard of Wayne Rooney. Without wanting to seem too condescending, it’s not unreasonable to infer that someone who is apparently known…
If ever there was a case of ‘shooting the messenger’, the decision to shut down the Climate Change Authority (CCA) looks like it. In the current political environment there is little appetite for unpalatable…
As the deindustrialisation of Australia gathers pace we will inevitably become more reliant on the resource sector. And yet of all the reasons for being sceptical about the resource sector’s capacity to…
One of the most venerable metaphors in the study of international relations is the idea that there is a geographical pivot of history. Writing in the early twentieth century, Halford Mackinder argued that…
Australians all let us rejoice, for we are to host the G20. Finally, a seat at a big table and a chance to influence world affairs. Even for a government that is not normally noted for its enthusiasm about…
John Kerry, America’s peripatetic Secretary of State, is on his fifth trip to East Asia since his appointment in early 2013. At one level, this looks like an unambiguous indicator of the United States…
Industry policy has suddenly become quite fashionable – or it has as a talking point, at least. Not since the 1980s has there been quite so much discussion of the relative merits of ‘government intervention…
Starting a new job is always a rather nerve-wracking experience. But spare a thought for Janet Yellen: not only does the incoming head of the Federal Reserve assume the mantle of the ‘most powerful woman…
There can’t be too many people in Australia by now who don’t recognise how important China is to our collective economic future. The most immediately visible sign of this growing interdependence is the…
No less an authority on economic affairs than God’s son apparently suggested that ‘the poor will always be with you’. Even the heathens amongst us may be forced to concede that he may have been on to something…
A little less than three decades ago, Francis Fukuyama made a very big name for himself by predicting that liberal democracy would sweep the planet. Simply put, in a world freed of the divisive ideology…
For those of us fortunate enough to make a living studying international relations, these are interesting times. Some of our biggest ideas and claims are being put to the test as the international system…
Many people who write for The Conversation like to think of themselves as ‘public intellectuals’, or that they are at least making a contribution to public policy debates. Few can claim to have had anything…
The First World War is not likely to the primary topic of conversation at many family gatherings this Christmas. That is, of course, as it should be. Anyone reading this is likely to live in a cocoon of…
Rapid increases in energy efficiency in Chinese manufacturing, especially in the steel production sector, will temper demand for Australian coal exports and put billions of dollars in investment at risk…
Politicians are fond of talking about ‘the national interest’. It’s not hard to see why. There’s nothing quite like a vigorous defence of Australian interests to unite a disaffected and disengaged electorate…
China’s decision to declare a maritime air defence zone over disputed waters in the East China Sea in late November, together with the more recent response of Japan and South Korea, is both alarming and…
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