Writer
James Curran
James Curran is Professor of Modern History and senior fellow at Sydney University’s US Studies Centre. He is writing a book on Australia’s China debate for New South Press. <span lang="EN">James Curran is the <em>AFR’s</em> International Editor and Professor of Modern History at the Sydney University.</span>
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Anthony Albanese has yet to grow into the prime minister’s job
The prime minister is a political operator rather than a visionary. His inability to persuade and sustain arguments is beginning to show. Continue reading »
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Would Trump or Harris keep the US out of new wars?
Donald Trump wants to end the conflict in Ukraine, but would have fewer guardrails in office. However, Kamala Harris might take a harder line on China than we think. Continue reading »
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Forked tongue foreign policy
Asia posturing. At least the Americans discern no contradiction in Australian strategic policy, but the government continues to contort its messaging. Continue reading »
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Howard still ducks Iraq question
Former prime minister John Howard has defended his record on committing Australia to the Iraq war. But we are no closer to fully understanding his reasons. Continue reading »
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History damns John Howard on Iraq war
Missing cabinet documents relating to the 2003 Iraq war are unlikely to reveal the impulses that drove John Howard to a disastrous foreign policy decision. Continue reading »
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AUKUS gets embedded but no clear rationale
Labor has its political fix on national security. But what has been deferred once more is a fully developed explanation of the policy in real defence and strategic terms. Continue reading »
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NATO hasn’t got our back as some think
Anthony Albanese demonstrated that in some respects he remains a prisoner of his predecessor’s national security policies. Amid the glamour of Europe, he revealed once more that Canberra’s security agencies still control how Australia projects itself to the wider world. Continue reading »
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It’s back to diplomacy as destiny
While some commentators hoped that the new Albanese government might immediately reset ties with Beijing, such expectations were both undefined and unrealistic. Continue reading »
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‘New cold war’ in the South Pacific exposed
Having preened on the global stage for standing up to Beijing, the Morrison government has now been shown to have little influence in the region most crucial to our security. Continue reading »
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Quad in trouble in new cold war.
For those in Australia clinging to the ‘‘Indo-Pacific’’ as the titular proof of a new regional zeitgeist, where India is concerned, they are relying on a strategic partner that simply does not exist. Continue reading »
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PM’s playing of China card trashes national interest.
Geopolitics Recent rhetorical pyrotechnics reveal the dissolution of any prudent, rational, bipartisan dimension in the Morrison government’s China policy. Continue reading »
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Albanese should start by opening door to a China reset
If he prevails at the ballot box, the Labor leader should quickly make a speech recalling Labor’s very different relations with Beijing Continue reading »
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Morrison turns China ‘threat’ into an election wedge
Borrowing from the Vietnam War-era Coalition playbook, the prime minister is putting domestic politics ahead of long-term policy for dealing with Beijing. Continue reading »
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Australia gets caught up in Washington’s China blame game
The US is ignoring the rain of shrapnel that falls onto allies including Australia from its trade clashes with China. Continue reading »
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Inside Paul Keating’s historic — and prophetic — security deal with Indonesia
When, as prime minister, Paul Keating secured the 1995 security agreement with Indonesia, he ensured Australia would be surrounded by allies as China rose. Continue reading »
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Can Biden lead the world with a hole in America’s middle class? (AFR Dec 20, 2020)
Since Joe Biden’s US election win a wave of relief has washed over the foreign policy commentariat. The storyline appears set: with adults back in the room, Washington will relight multilateralism’s torch while displaying a surer touch on alliance management and strategic competition with China. Continue reading »
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What’s old is new again: Problems of the past and the future in Australia-China relations
The process of conceptualising a new framework for Australian strategic policy will again be full of tension between the pulls of history and the imperatives of geography; between what is and what we would wish to be, between experience which calls for prudence in protecting the national interest and hopes, even if tentative, that a Continue reading »
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Trump’s legacy to us (AFR Oct 26, 2020)
Consider the atmosphere now pervading Australian domestic and international life. Trump has alienated the Australian population further from the US. Diplomacy The US President has done precious little for the alliance. And four more years of strategic meandering would leave us even more uncertain about it’s future. Continue reading »
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A dialogue of the deaf as the noisy hawks circle (AFR Sep 16, 2020)
Now that the Australia-China relationship has hit a new low, the timing’s right for charting a way out of the current impasse. Continue reading »
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Australia at risk of losing subtlety in dealing with China (AFR, Sept 1 2020)
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s tough realism on China has sent strong signals to Beijing about where Australia stands. But the danger now is one of being locked into an entrenched position. Continue reading »
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On being ‘very different countries’: AUSMIN and China’s rise (UTS Australia China Relations Institute August 4 2020)
During discussions with American thinkers, analysts and officials in New York and Washington DC in late 2017, one particular conversation gave a chilling insight into how some see the ultimate strategic calculations in US China relations. Continue reading »
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‘Haunted’ Morrison adds more fuel to the Asia-Pacific fire
We now know a little more about the prime minister’s fleeting, but significant references to the 1930s in his speech launching the defence update last week. Continue reading »
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Washington’s ‘Cold War’ with Beijing exposes its true view of Australia
Even before the onset of coronavirus, it had become something of a truism to talk of US–China relations plunging into a new era of heightened geopolitical competition. Continue reading »
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JAMES CURRAN. Canberra’s wolverines threaten our connection (AFR 8.5.20)
Beijing deserves scrutiny for little transparency amid the pandemic, but Australia’s proposal for an inquiry is badly timed. Continue reading »
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JAMES CURRAN. COVID-19 triggers a reset of domestic and international institutions
As governments try to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, they must have a view of the immediate future if they are to act rationally. Continue reading »
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JAMES CURRAN. China challenge needs clever diplomacy not shrill crusades(AFR 21.1.2020)
Some Australian politicians are convinced that China is waging political warfare against us. But where is the evidence that they are winning? Continue reading »
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JAMES CURRAN Our China panic is stepping into the world of paranoia (AFR 10.12.2019)
The China debate is close to losing all sense of rationality and proportion. Where’s the confidence in our institutions? Continue reading »
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JAMES CURRAN. Julie Bishop: buffeted by headwinds.
Few can quibble with the accolades that Julie Bishop has received in recent days for the manner in which she performed the role of Australian foreign minister. The first woman to hold the position, she graced the world stage with a mixture of professionalism and poise, dignity and discipline. No one can doubt Bishop’s ability Continue reading »
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JAMES CURRAN. New series. We can say ‘no’ to the Americans.
James Curran spoke to the National Press Club, Canberra, at the launch of his new book ‘Fighting with America’ on 8 December 2016. The alliance is stronger and healthier for its disagreements. Continue reading »
