Stewart Sweeney's recent articles

Quantico’s verdict: The silence that stripped Trump bare

Quantico’s verdict: The silence that stripped Trump bare

Donald Trump has always measured power by applause. Rallies, ratings, and ovations have been his fuel, the noise that kept the illusion of command alive. But at Quantico, facing the nation’s military brass, the noise stopped.

Labor has a narrow window to effect change

Labor has a narrow window to effect change

Australia is a quarter of the way into the twenty-first century and stuck on a trajectory that cannot last.

The world in 2050 is already here

The world in 2050 is already here

Dr Mike Gilligan has reminded us that Australia’s defence and foreign policies are pulling in opposite directions: we preach “equilibrium” in the Pacific while binding ourselves ever more tightly to Washington’s war plans against China. His warning is timely, but we must go further.

Gas is not a climate policy

Gas is not a climate policy

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has thrown himself into a fight that is not his own.

Why the planet now needs China

Why the planet now needs China

The World Bank’s Reboot Development report has belatedly confirmed what scientists have warned for decades: humanity is breaching the safe operating limits of the Earth.

Starmer’s collapse and the rebirth of a movement

Starmer’s collapse and the rebirth of a movement

In British politics, collapses come slowly and then all at once. Sir Keir Starmer, elected on the promise of competence after the chaos of Johnson, Truss and Sunak, has now seen his credibility unravel in record time.

The retreat of social democracy and the rise of the hard right

The retreat of social democracy and the rise of the hard right

From Warsaw to Melbourne, from Berlin to Texas, the streets of many OECD countries are witnessing anti-immigration rallies and the surge of far-right populism.

Still talkin’ ’bout My Generation

Still talkin’ ’bout My Generation

The first time I heard The Who’s My Generation, I was a teenager and it sounded like a punch in the face.

Bringing government back – but not all the way

Bringing government back – but not all the way

The Albanese Government wants Australians to believe that the era of market dogma is over.

Will Labor take Australia further from the global core?

Will Labor take Australia further from the global core?

As Anthony Albanese opens a new term and Treasurer Jim Chalmers signals a renewed focus on “abundance,” Australia stands at a pivotal juncture. Will Labor seize the opportunity to lead the nation into a high-value, sovereign economic future—or simply double down on the market-led path that has kept us stranded in the semiperiphery?

Slaying the juggernauts

Slaying the juggernauts

Barbara Preston’s recent reflection on Australia’s school funding system offers a quietly devastating insight into the paradox of public education reform.

Even Ken Henry’s best ideas can’t fix a system addicted to growth

Even Ken Henry’s best ideas can’t fix a system addicted to growth

“Growth for growth’s sake is the ideology of the cancer cell.” – Edward Abbey

Boomers bashing again: Change the rules

Boomers bashing again: Change the rules

A departing editor-at-large from The Australian Financial Review, off to head the IPA, warns of an “intergenerational tragedy” facing young Australians.

Labor’s Left majority: A defining moment

Labor’s Left majority: A defining moment

The May 2025 election delivered something quietly historic. For the first time since the 1970s, the Labor Left faction holds a majority in caucus.

Not yet born: America at the crossroads

Not yet born: America at the crossroads

On a threatening June evening, America’s army turned 250 and put on a show that revealed more than it intended.

Australia's dependence on the US does not end with Trump

Australia's dependence on the US does not end with Trump

Malcolm Turnbull’s recent Foreign Affairs essay, America’s Allies Must Save Themselves, is a good intervention in the debate about Donald Trump’s impact on global order.

Beyond the sensible centre: A critical reflection on political imagination in the 21st century

Beyond the sensible centre: A critical reflection on political imagination in the 21st century

The “sensible centre” is the most overpopulated address in Australian politics today.

Dee Madigan and the art of the possible: Branding progress or boxing it in?

Dee Madigan and the art of the possible: Branding progress or boxing it in?

In the pantheon of contemporary Australian political strategists, few have the profile — or the punch — of Dee Madigan.

Australia’s billion-dollar blind spot

Australia’s billion-dollar blind spot

Australia now ranks seventh in the world for the number of publicly listed companies worth more than a billion US dollars.

From campaign genius to nation-builder? Paul Erickson and Labor’s long game

From campaign genius to nation-builder? Paul Erickson and Labor’s long game

Paul Erickson is a name rarely heard outside political circles, yet his influence runs deep.

Factional comfort gazumps innovation courage

Factional comfort gazumps innovation courage

Sandy Plunkett’s lament in the Australian Financial Review (15/5) over Ed Husic’s sacking as federal industry minister captures a familiar truth: innovation ministries in Canberra are often burial grounds for political ambition. Husic’s fall may have been sealed by factional headwinds, but the deeper problem is that “innovation” in Australia is rarely allowed to mean what it should.

After the victory: Kelty’s warning and why it’s still not enough

After the victory: Kelty’s warning and why it’s still not enough

The Labor Party has just secured a resounding second-term mandate – defying forecasts, media pessimism and internal doubts.

The vanishing elders of Australian politics

The vanishing elders of Australian politics

Australia is ageing. An estimated 14% of our population is now over the age of 70 – more than one in seven citizens.

Still waiting for the Asian Century? The world-system has moved on

Still waiting for the Asian Century? The world-system has moved on

Dr Allan Patience’s recent essay, Australia’s misunderstanding of the Asian Century, is a wake-up call we can no longer afford to ignore.

Productivity with purpose: Roy Green, structural reform and Australia’s place in the world

Productivity with purpose: Roy Green, structural reform and Australia’s place in the world

Roy Green’s recent article on productivity reform offers one of the most cogent and hopeful visions for Australia’s economic future.