Writer
Mark Beeson
Mark Beeson is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and Griffith University. His latest book is <em>Environmental Anarchy? International Relations Theory and Practice in the Anthropocene</em>, (Bristol University Press: 2021) He has also written <em>Environmental Populism: The Politics of Survival; in the Anthropocene Palgrave 2019</em>
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MARK BEESON. The unconventional wisdom
When it comes to military matters, there is – forgive the pun – a remarkable uniformity of opinion. Sensible and serious observers agree that not only is the ANZUS alliance the indispensable bedrock of national security, but Australian policymakers would be irresponsible to do anything that might jeopardize its status. Continue reading »
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MARK BEESON. Dysfunction rules, OK?
Britain’s election result was a shock, even in today’s volatile political climate. The outcome is potentially disastrous, but it is unclear whether Corbyn could have pursued his agenda even if he had actually won. Continue reading »
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MARK BEESON. ANZUS: Too obliging for our own good?
Malcolm Turnbull is dropping everything and travelling to America to meet a man that only recently subjected him to a very public humiliation. Although members of the Trump administration have tried to make amends for this initial snub to a supposedly valued ally, one might have thought the damage had been done. Continue reading »
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MARK BEESON. What it is to be popular
At a moment when the world needs informed responses to complex problems that transcend national borders, a retreat to nationalist tub-thumping is the last thing we need. Yes, there are important questions about who ‘we’ are and whom national public policies actually benefit, but they are unlikely to be answered, much less addressed by the Continue reading »
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MARK BEESON. WA and the politics of the resource curse. Take on the miners at your peril!
WA is but the most glaring example of the way that Australia’s politics have been directly affected by the politics of the so-called ‘resource curse’, when a powerful economic sector uses its disproportionate influence to shape political outcomes. Continue reading »
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MARK BEESON. Turnbull turns toady for Trump
Let’s hope it’s worth it. Malcolm Turnbull has sacrificed whatever remaining credibility he may still have had as a small ‘l’ liberal in a desperate effort to save his tawdry deal with the American government. What looked like a brilliant political ploy to resolve the running sore of off-shore detention, has now come back to Continue reading »
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MARK BEESON. New series: We can say ‘no’ to the Americans?
Getting to ‘no’ Ideas have their moments. The way we think about the world is partly a reflection of who ‘we’ are and partly a consequence of the times we live in. One of the biggest ideas that has informed Australian foreign policy since it became formally independent is that we live in an especially Continue reading »
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MARK BEESON. Trump’s America: the irresponsible stakeholder?
Will China fill the void that will be created by Trump? How times change. A decade or so ago, former World Bank president and deputy secretary of state Robert Zoellick suggested to China that it needed to become a “responsible stakeholder”. Even at the time this advice looked slightly condescending and patronising. Now it looks Continue reading »
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MARK BEESON. WA provides a masterclass in what not to do with a resources boom.
It wouldn’t be too unkind to suggest that Western Australia is not considered as the national benchmark of sophisticated public policy. Indeed, the state has recently attracted much attention – and derision – for the way its policy making elite squandered the wealth generated by the resources boom.True, we now have more sports facilities than Continue reading »
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MARK BEESON. Crown: the trials of a tributary state.
Of all the indicators of Australia’s evolving relationship with China, Crown Casino’s current problems are some of the most striking, unexpected and revealing. They present an unflattering but painfully accurate vignette of this country’s increasingly dependent relationship with the People’s Republic. We have all become accustomed to the idea that Australia’s economic future is inextricably Continue reading »
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Mark Beeson. Australia still hasn’t had the debate on why we even need new submarines.
Australia is about to make its biggest-ever investment in military hardware. Although we don’t know yet whether Germany, France or Japan will be awarded the contract to build our 12 new submarines, it is possible to make a few confident predictions. What to expect First, the actual cost of the submarines when completed will be Continue reading »
