Foreign policy
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Chomsky is right says Professor Walt
The wide-ranging political views of the exceptional, international public intellectual, Noam Chomsky, have recently been searchingly assessed in the journal, Foreign Policy, by Professor Stephen M Walt, in an article entitled, “Noam Chomsky Has Been Proved Right”. Continue reading »
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Australia’s shame
Open Letter to Antonio Guterres on the Australian Government’s failure to publicly defend the office of the United Nations Secretary General. Continue reading »
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Equality under the law: the differing treatment of Hezbollah and Israel in Australia
Last week the federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was asked by a journalist about the process for making Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based political and militant group, a ‘proscribed terrorist organisation’. As is usually the case for a politician caught out because they don’t know the answer, he became aggressive and sought to belittle the journalist. Continue reading »
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Are America’s right and left converging on foreign policy?
The interview of Jeffrey Sachs, a Social Progressive, by Tucker Carlson, a Social Conservative, makes riveting viewing since its an insight to where the polar enemies of American politics may be converging on their big picture view of US foreign policy. Continue reading »
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The shadow of empire: how the dream of global dominance undermines American democracy
The notion of American exceptionalism — that the United States is uniquely destined to lead the world due to its superior values and capabilities — has been deeply embedded in the national consciousness for generations. This belief, cultivated by political, business, and intellectual elites, frames the US as a force for good, a beacon of Continue reading »
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Next year’s US Taiwan policy: Trump versus Harris
Very much on the minds of the government as well as residents in Taiwan is the November election in the United States. The question is which candidate, Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, will oversee a more friendly policy toward Taiwan? Continue reading »
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The United States and its allies need to avoid caricaturing China in their foreign policies
Nicholas Ross Smith, from the University of Canterbury, argues that the temptation to essentialise China as simply being a Xi-led CCP monolith that will stop at nothing to re-integrate Taiwan and seek global domination overlooks the complexity of domestic politics in China. Basing policy on a simple caricature of China is a recipe for disaster. Continue reading »
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Gaza hellscape: Starmer recalibrates UK foreign policy for global justice
After the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7, Israel stopped the entry of food, fuel and medicine into Gaza. When asked by London-based radio station LBC’s Nick Ferrari on Oct 11 if the cutting off of power and water was appropriate, the Labour leader (now prime minister), Sir Keir Starmer, said, “Israel does have Continue reading »
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Former New Zealand political rivals alarmed at sudden foreign policy changes
The New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon unilaterally announced new directions for New Zealand’s foreign policy in an interview during a visit to the United States to attend a NATO meeting. Continue reading »
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China and America in the Middle East
An interesting essay that takes a critical but well-informed look at the development of China’s Middle East policy-settings recently appeared in the journal Foreign Policy. You can read the article – written by Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Washington-based Stimson Centre. Continue reading »
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Canberra’s endearment of ASEAN must be taken with a pinch of salt
“When Australia looks out to the world, the first thing we see is the countries of ASEAN.” – Australian Foreign Minister, Penny Wong. Continue reading »
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Gaza’s biblical apocalypse: America rudderless, Biden a foreign policy failure
Only an exceptional president could resist the endless war-profiteering of this mammoth war machine; alas, Biden doesn’t even try. Continue reading »
