Category Archives: International Affairs

JOHN TULLOH. The mirage of great expectations in Saudi Arabia.

Posted on 15 October 2018

Perhaps the most masterful PR campaign of international diplomacy this year was the visit to the US of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman commonly known as MBS. He was feted on a two-week coast-to-coast tour by politicians, big … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs | 1 Comment

A welcome statement on Australian relations with China by Prime Minister Morrison

Posted on 15 October 2018

At a ‘Chinese community luncheon event’ at Hurstville on 4 October 2018, Prime Minister Morrison spelt out clearly the importance of a ‘mutual beneficial relationship’ between Australia and China.  This speech received wide coverage in the Chinese media in Australia, … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Politics | Leave a comment

MICHAEL KEATING. The Change from Turnbull to Morrison: What Difference has It Made?

Posted on 15 October 2018

Now that Scott Morrison has passed the fifty-day landmark as Prime Minister, this article considers what has changed since the demise of Malcolm Turnbull and what difference Scott Morrison will make in resolving the major policy challenges that Australia is … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Environment and climate, International Affairs, Politics | 2 Comments

WILLIAM BRIGGS. The Chinese threat in far away Hobart.

Posted on 15 October 2018

Two events in the past couple of weeks have signalled disturbing trends in local and global politics. It might seem a long bow to draw a link between a city council election in Hobart with the sometimes rarefied atmosphere of … Continue reading →

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CHENGXIN PAN. Pence on China: reviving a neo-conservative Dream (Lowy Institute, 08.10.18)

Posted on 13 October 2018

Ever wondered who is now the culprit for many of the woes of the United States? Then look no further than a major speech delivered by US Vice President Mike Pence last week.

Posted in Asia, International Affairs | Leave a comment

JOHN TULLOH. The non-great expectations in Saudi Arabia

Posted on 12 October 2018

Perhaps the most masterful PR campaign of international diplomacy this year was the visit to the US of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman commonly known as MBS. He was feted on a two-week coast-to-coast tour by politicians, big … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs | Leave a comment

JERRY ROBERTS Bill Shorten, Chris Bowen, Steve Bannon and the TPP

Posted on 12 October 2018

When Bill Shorten on camera announced that Labor would support the TPP he looked like a schoolboy telling the teacher that the dog ate his homework.  Bill knew his excuse was phony.  Will the TPP be the issue that finally … Continue reading →

Posted in Industrial relations, International Affairs | 5 Comments

DENISE FISHER. New Caledonia’s independence referendum

Posted on 12 October 2018

On 4 November, indigenous and some other longstanding New Caledonian residents will vote on the question “Do you want New Caledonia to accede to full sovereignty and become independent?” The referendum process will re-shape the role of France in the … Continue reading →

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KATE MALTBY. What to Expect When a Woman Accuses a Man in Power.

Posted on 12 October 2018

Last week, the world gazed on as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified against a man backed by the strongest political forces in America. I couldn’t watch.

Posted in Human Rights, International Affairs | 2 Comments

SCOTT MORRISON. Speech at Chinese-Australian Community Event

Posted on 11 October 2018

This speech by Scott Morrison on 4 October 2018 does not seem to have been run anywhere in the mainstream media.  It is the most constructive statement from the government in a long time. Interestingly, the speech was posted on … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, International Affairs, Politics | 5 Comments

CAVAN HOGUE. Do we really need an American Ambassador? Or will Rupert Murdoch do?

Posted on 10 October 2018

Do we really need an American ambassador?  Ambassadors are paid to represent their own country, not ours, so what’s in it for us? Do we really need an imperial legate to keep us in line when we never get out … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, International Affairs | 1 Comment

STEPHEN COSTELLO. Who controls US policy on the Korean peninsula? (East Asia Forum, 5 October 2018)

Posted on 9 October 2018

Much has been made of the theatrical stand-off between North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. But most signs show that the two could quickly reach a deal on how to move forward with DPRK denuclearisation and … Continue reading →

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JANE PERLEZ. Pence’s China Speech Seen as Portent of a ‘New Cold War’ (New York Times, 05.10.18)

Posted on 9 October 2018

BEIJING — Vice President Mike Pence’s accusations in a stinging speech Thursday warning of a tougher approach toward Beijing may have been familiar to China’s leaders. But until now, such remarks were delivered in private, in fairly decorous terms, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, International Affairs | 3 Comments

WILLIAM BRIGGS The anti-China syndrome at work in far away Tasmania.

Posted on 8 October 2018

A little over a century ago, the world plunged into war. The call to nationalism, national identity and symbolism was carefully promoted. The conditions that created that war still echo. We see, today, an integrated global capitalism in contradiction to … Continue reading →

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RAMESH THAKUR. President Moon Jae-in is driving the Korea peace train.

Posted on 8 October 2018

The Korean War is 68 years old. Despite a ceasefire in effect since 1953, the heavily militarized border is still patrolled by soldiers, ringed with barbed wire and covered in land mines. Almost seven decades of containing, isolating and embargoing … Continue reading →

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GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND

Posted on 6 October 2018

A regular collection of links to writings and broadcasts covered in other media.

Posted in International Affairs, Media, Politics | Leave a comment

RAMESH THAKUR. China and New World Order. North Korea Part 4

Posted on 6 October 2018

The most acute contemporary manifestation of the demand on China to demonstrate responsible leadership is the challenge of North Korea’s nuclear weapons. Le Hong Hiep speculated on the prospect of a grand bargain between Trump and Xi when they met … Continue reading →

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RAMESH THAKUR. China and New World Order. Rules Based Global Order Part 5

Posted on 6 October 2018

China recognizes that it has been a major beneficiary of the existing international order and it has proven to be a fast learner in operating as a responsible power within that order. Its primary goal therefore will not be to … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, International Affairs, Politics | 2 Comments

DUNCAN GRAHAM. When giving aid, be humble.

Posted on 6 October 2018

In 2015 then PM Tony Abbott sought to save the lives of two convicted heroin traffickers.  He reminded Indonesians that Australians had given $1 billion in emergency aid and rehabilitation following the 2004 Aceh tsunami, so please show mercy.  He … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, International Affairs | 2 Comments

MAX HAYTON. Jacinda Ardern stands for kindness and collectivism.

Posted on 6 October 2018

The New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, challenged the forces of isolationism, protectionism and racism in her speech to the United Nations General Assembly. 

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SAM BATEMAN. Understanding American Freedom of Navigation Operation(FONOP) in the South China Sea

Posted on 5 October 2018

The recent encounter between American and Chinese warships in the South China Sea could be the fore-runner of more serious incidents unless both parties show more restraint.

Posted in Asia, International Affairs | 3 Comments

GRAHAM FREUDENBERG. 80 years after Munich.

Posted on 5 October 2018

The 80th anniversary of the Munich Agreement passed without significant comment, although it was a pivotal event of the 20h Century. Perhaps it’s time for me to commit the ultimate political incorrectness and confess that I am a Municheer. I … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Politics | 5 Comments

GRAHAM ALLISON. The Myth of the Liberal Order: From Historical Accident to Conventional Wisdom.

Posted on 5 October 2018

Among the debates that have swept the U.S. foreign policy community since the beginning of the Trump administration, alarm about the fate of the liberal international rules-based order has emerged as one of the few fixed points. From the international … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs | 2 Comments

NILE BOWIE. The world according to Mahathir.

Posted on 5 October 2018

Malaysian premier is re-emerging as a strident yet pacifist spokesman for the non-aligned interests of the developing world.

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MARTIN WOLF. Donald Trump is wrong: China is not Mexico (Financial Times)

Posted on 4 October 2018

“When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win.” This tweet of March 2 set out the aims and means of … Continue reading →

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RAMESH THAKUR. China and the New World Order. China–USA Part 2

Posted on 4 October 2018

Westerners may believe that the growing integration and interdependence of China with the regional and international economy makes armed conflict too costly to contemplate and that the Pacific military balance is so heavily in US favour that China would not … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, International Affairs, Politics | 2 Comments

ANDREW FARRAN. Fearing a Cold War with China!

Posted on 3 October 2018

There are fears that the Trump Administration may, with the urging of America’s military/business and security complex and support from middle America, extend its trade war with China into a new Cold War. This would be unlikely to gain substantive … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs | 2 Comments

RAMESH THAKUR. China and World Order: Navigating the Thucydides and Kindleberger Traps Part 1

Posted on 3 October 2018

There have been two big geopolitical storylines thus far in this century: the US has suffered a relative decline from its dominant position at the end of the Cold War; and China has acquired impressive power in both relative and … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, International Affairs, Politics | 1 Comment

NICK BISLEY. The risks of a new Cold War between the US and China are real: here’s why (the Conversation, 26.08.18)

Posted on 1 October 2018

Donald Trump is making good on his trade war rhetoric with China, announcing tariffs on a further US$200 billion worth of goods from the PRC. As China promises retaliation, the warmth of the Mar-a-Lago summit of April 2017 is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, International Affairs, Politics | 1 Comment

HENRY REYNOLDS. Mateship Multiplied.

Posted on 29 September 2018

I was idly trawling through the many programmes available on the hotel’s television and came upon the History Channel. To my surprise there was a feature about what was called Australia’s 100 years of mateship with the United States although … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs | 2 Comments