It is not clear in the wake of Trump’s visit to the Middle East is whether his public statements are part of an overarching strategy, or what might be described as a reconnaissance mission.
- Director, La Trobe University
European governments are dealing with threats to personal security that can strike at any time and in any place, as various terrorist incidents in the past year or so have demonstrated.
Given the number of deaths and casualties in the long-running conflict, Australia needs to think carefully before committing more soldiers to a role that goes beyond training and support.
Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull have clearly resolved to move onto the offensive politically by bringing down a budget that is both populist and expansionary.
Here’s some advice for Malcolm Turnbull as he prepares for his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump: reflect on how his predecessors as prime minister have performed in their interactions…
The message from the US vice-president was that the US would stay the course and, if anything, act more assertively in preserving stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
What vastly complicates Western policy in Syria is how to sanction Assad on one hand and deal with Islamic State on the other, without the country unravelling completely.
Li’s visit has not answered the central conundrum of Australian foreign and security policy, but it has provided an opportunity to get the measure of Chinese thinking at a senior level.
Just when the Western world had absorbed the shock of a truck attack in Berlin in December that claimed 12 lives, it is reminded again of the dangers of “lone-wolf” attacks inspired by Islamic State (IS…
While US officials have consistently maintained that American military domination is essential, a resurgent Russia poses challenges.
The US alliance will remain the cornerstone of Australian security, but regional partnerships will become more important and exploitable - sentimental ties aside.
After the extraordinary attention accorded to the visit to Australia by the leader of a country whose economic importance to us is limited – if prospective – it might not be a bad idea to put all this…
In its valid claims to be regarded as a country that respects the rule of law, Israel is now at risk of demeaning that reputation.
Bernardi’s defection from the Liberal Party this week is less important in itself than what it says about a wider trend towards a fracturing of Australian politics.
Let us turn to Shakespeare for guidance to describe the predicament in which Australia’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, finds himself in his interactions with a bullying American president, damned if…
Policymakers need to think outside the narrow confines of what has been regarded as “America first” policy postures that have dictated Australia’s foreign policy choices.
As the Trump era begins, Australian are having an overdue debate about the need for greater self-reliance at a time when American power may be receding.
Russian interests are far from aligned with those of the West, and no amount of revisionist commentary about Russia not being ‘such a bad guy’’ after all will alter that reality.
In the Middle East, there will be no easy choices for the incoming Trump administration - and a wild ride is likely to continue.
The ball is rolling on the first foreign policy white paper in a decade - and there is much we need to think about.
With China’s president headed for the World Economic Forum in January, much attention will be on how US-China relations will fare under Donald Trump’s presidency.
Uncertainties about America’s trajectory under Trump come at a particularly awkward moment in post-Cold War history.
Donald Trump this week repeated his pledge to abandon America’s commitment to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement on “day one” of his presidency. That means on January 20, Inauguration…
The president-elect has made some worrying noises on a range of issues, and from Australia’s perspective the most worrying of all is the relationship with China.
In less than a week, Americans will choose their next president. And either way, there are problems on a foerign policy level.
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