Writer
Bob Bowker
Bob Bowker retired from DFAT in 2008 after a 37 year career with DFAT and the UN largely focused on Middle East issues. From 2008-19 he was Adjunct Professor and later Honorary Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the ANU.
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Staring into a void — of neither two states nor one
I support recognition of a Palestinian state, in the UN context, as an affirmation that our values apply in our approach to dealings between states as well as within states. Continue reading »
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No peace to keep: Israel, the ICJ and implications for Australian policy
For the foreseeable future Israel will not commit itself to allowing Palestinian statehood. It will remain in occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. And so long as the occupation continues, there will be no peace to keep. Continue reading »
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No peace to keep: outsiders cannot drive an end to the occupation
Some years ago I reached the conclusion, reluctantly, that there was no longer a realistic prospect of achieving a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Continue reading »
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After Trump debacle, it’s time for US to review Iran strategy
The Middle East is changing, and it would be the region’s advantage if the US and key Arab players brokered a mature relationship with Iran. Continue reading »
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The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
As an Adjunct Professor, sometimes released and eventually retired from diplomacy, I would pose to my students two questions. With Israelis and Palestinians seeking the realization of their conflicting versions of their respective national rights, where does justice lie? Continue reading »
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BOB BOWKER: The Piano Stool: Israel-Palestine and the Arc of History
As an Adjunct Professor, sometimes released and later retired from diplomacy, I would pose to my students two questions. Continue reading »
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BOB BOWKER.-Iran and the United States: Where to from here?
The assassination, at President Trump’s instruction, of the emblematic Iranian military leader Qassem Sulaimani has almost certainly moved the Iran-US contest into a new phase. Continue reading »
